


Prince’s Dragon

by SFF_EXO



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 10:08:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7263670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SFF_EXO/pseuds/SFF_EXO
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kris the Great Dragon swooped in to kidnap the prince on the day of his wedding since Baekhyun was promised to him in the first place, unaware to the events that came to follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I may have derailed from the prompt here and there but I hope it’s still enjoyable! Thank you to all the mods, the prompter and my beta that was more help that she realizes! PS: I can’t do smut…

*

Kris sat silently, looking out at the massive forest he just flew over. Whenever he came down to the ground, everything looked infinitely larger than when he viewed it from the sky. Granted, he was flying well over 10,000 feet, away from prying eyes. Either way, both views were breathtaking and he was grateful to be one of the few who could experience them.

As always, he found a sturdy cliff that overlooked the forest and scoped out any living creatures in near proximity. Other than small rodents, not even a mountain goat was in sight. Even though during nighttime, there were some signs of larger mammals sleeping or grazing in flocks, but not this night. It was strange. Kris rubbed his stomach as his hunger made itself known, now that he was a human, and the ache of a week's journey did not help his current predicament.

“ _Tao_.”

A black smoke began rising from the rocks below Kris’s body, drifting around until a big black raven broke through. The bird settled itself near Kris at an arm's distance.

“ _Yes, my lord._ ”

Tao’s voice echoed through Kris’s mind, familiar after many years with the bird’s company but always something Kris found strangely invasive for both parties. Tao didn’t seem to mind nor care for such simple worries. He was neither a human nor a beast. Pure magic.

“ _I’m hungry and tired. Any human villages nearby?_ ”

The bird’s beak turned abruptly towards the east side of the mountain pass and after a minute of silence the voice appeared in Kris’s mind again.

“ _A kingdom is within an hour’s journey towards the east. However, my lord, I caution eating the commoner's food._ ”

Kris, wanting to stay invisible, usually ventured into small villages or the town centers where commoner’s made their daily lives. Humans of higher status, out of paranoia that Kris couldn’t understand, had a company of a wizard or a warlock who could easily recognize Kris’s identity. However, no amount of rodents will be able to satisfy his hunger and he didn’t have the energy to fly further.

“ _A disease?_ ” Kris wanted to know, his unknown interest in observing humans resurfacing even when he was busy with his hunger.

“ _I’m afraid it’s more than just disease. I feel magic may be at play._ ”

Kris contemplated his options. One. He needed to catch at least fifty rodents, depending on their size, skin them, gut them, and clean them before he could roast and eat them. He hated how his human form was so picky and needed too many preparations unlike his true form. Two. He needed to fly around for another day or two to find another village or a kingdom that was not under dark magic and then hope that his strength lasted until he found something to eat. Three. Visit the nearby village, reveal his identity to access food from, most likely, an upper class human who in turn would demand for a compensation that would ultimately make him do more work than he wanted.

His options were all distasteful; however, he had to do what he had to do. He had to eat.

“ _Tell me, Tao,_ ” the bird’s attention was back on his master, “ _does the kingdom not have any magic wielders or are they that weak?_ ”

Tao was silent again before speaking.

“ _Neither, I’m afraid._ ”

Kris didn’t have to directly address the bird before it stretched its long black wings and took off into the black night, almost completely disappearing. Kris was beginning to get jealous that his companion never got hungry.      

*

This was a first even to Kris. In his hundred years of existence, Kris had never seen the things that were wandering in front of his eyes. They were human but not at the same time. Nothing like his kind. They were dead. Kris did not believe his eyes. What magic was this?

Fortunately, the walking corpses were more interested in humans, alive ones, than in him. The terror in the eyes of the living was speaking louder than their shrill cries and screams that cut through the silence of the night. Kris was able to hear the sound of chaos miles away and now he could put an image to it all.

“ _Have you encountered this before?_ ”

The raven, now perched on Kris’s broad shoulder, also peering about, stopped to regard the man.

“ _I believe, my lord, that it might be the work of a revenant._ ”

“ _Revenant? So these things are dead and only the spirits? How is that possible? I can feel their solid bodies._ ”

“ _Yes, revenant is of dark magic to start with; however, when assisted from an outsider, the magic does more damage with its gained strength._ ”

Kris nodded his head in understanding. Tao was thousands of years older than Kris, if time even applied to the bird, and would readily share its gathered knowledge with great detail. The two made their way towards the inner city gates, ignoring those around them that were running and hiding, frantically, barely missing collisions with Kris. The city gates were impressive in height, probably in depth as well, however, it was nothing Kris couldn’t scale. With a single boost, the leap over the structure landed them both right in the middle of an army formation.

The men around all screamed and shouted in fear and before Kris could stand up from his crouch there were swords, spears, and arrows directed at him.

“Who are you!” A man on a white horse, looking over his men directly at Kris, most likely a general from his attire and presence, demanded with a shout.

Kris saw black smoke seeping down from his shoulder before a body in full black, slightly shorter than Kris, stepped in front of him. Kris closed his eyes and let Tao handle the situation.

“We apologize for the fright.” Tao’s silky thin voice spoke up, sounding same but different from the one in Kris’s mind. “My master traveled a long way and came down to the mountain pass for a rest and food when we discovered that nothing substantial was residing in the forest. Now that we see your city,” he looked around, “I believe we know why.”

“Who is your master?” The man asked this time, looking more and more impatient and on guard.

“Stop!” A woman’s voice stole everyone’s attention, including Kris’s, who had to open his eyes to greet the new face. “Master Yong Joon has demanded that you put down your arms.” She addressed the general before stepping back to reveal an older man with a pleasant smile. Kris could identify him as a wizard from miles away, with his heavy cloak and sacred tongue embroidered along the edges.  

The new man made the journey towards Kris while the soldiers dispersed to make a path. Once he was a respectful distance away, he lowered his head in a deep bow.

“My lord, I cannot thank the heavens enough for sending you in our time of despair.”

“Master Young Joon, who is this man that demands so much of your respect?” The general questioned the wizard.

Young Joon raised his head, a smile still on his face.

“Not just a man, but a Great Dragon has descended upon our kingdom. We must quickly inform the Royal Family!”

With those simple words the crowd was put into another wave of chaos. The general jumped off of his horse to show his respects to the dragon before sending men towards the castle. The remaining armed men were conflicted between running away from the beast and getting a closer look at such a rare sight.

“Please, my lord, I can offer only a snack before a supper is prepared for you. If you would.” He pointed his arm towards a hut with a slight bow. That was probably where the man was working from for the time being.

Tao looked back at his master, having a silent conversation, before turning to address the wizard.

“My master will accept your offer. We thank you for your help.”

*

“The Great Dragon and his Time Rover, a company that I’ve only heard great tales about from my parents, are seated at my dinner table.” A sickly looking man smiled brightly at those around his royal court and gestured for food to be served. “I cannot express how grateful I am that you have decided to grace us with your presence. However, I’m sure you are aware of the circumstances.”

Kris looked around and did not like what he saw. Everyone looked haggard and an unsettling dark aura was starting to ruin his appetite. He hoped that the food was not infected with the thick air around him.

He heard Tao speaking, polite as always, but Kris’s mind was solely on the food.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness. I’m afraid that the darkness is slowly seeping through your kingdom and affecting everything around it. The mountains and the forest were both barren of animals of any size, even the birds have migrated, and soon the plants will follow and death will be everywhere.” With each word the dark cloud around the table got heavier, only Kris looked unaffected and surprisingly content now that he had food in his mouth and stomach. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s driving this dark magic?”

The King, eyes downcast, took a deep breath before speaking.

“It saddens me greatly to know that the cause of all this suffering for my people and my land is from a recent attempt at containing a small village. I had received news of a brutal outbreak that was causing paralysis among the villagers. The stories from the messengers were disheartening. Apparently those who fell ill, not only got paralyzed, but their skin began to rot while bleeding from their eyes and ears.”

No matter how hungry Kris was, it was never easy to ignore something that was new to him, or as descriptive as the story the king was painting. His interest was piqued and he found himself listening. However, the look on the man’s face was putting him off so he continued to face his food as he continued his meal.

“I did not want it to spread further so I had asked a man who claimed he could contain the illness. However, what I did not foresee was for the village to be burned to the ground with everyone still inside it.”

“So it is a revenant.” Tao voiced out Kris’s thoughts.  

“Yes.” The wizard that showed the two to the palace spoke up with a defeated look. “Vengeful and wrongly killed souls are two of the hardest to fight against. Their dark magic has always been something we wizards had hard time dealing with. However, I’m afraid that these souls have more magic feeding them on.”

“My master and I could feel the dark magic from miles away. I’m quite certain that what you suspect is the truth.”

Young Joon sighed heavily.

“Then that is enough of a reason for the Great Dragon to aid us. I will admit that I have used up all that I can do.”

“Please,” the King interjected, “I also ask for your help. I’m not above begging if it means that I could save my people.”

“ _My lord?_ ”

Kris looked up to see everyone’s eyes directed towards him. Tao was also searching for an order with his heavy presence all around Kris’s mind.

“ _I don’t know what I will be facing. It could be just a warlock that wants to prove his worth or entirely different magical being. I’m sad to say that a dinner might not be enough of a payment for my services._ ”

“Your Royal Highness, the Royal Court,” Tao began with a soft voice, “a price has been paid for your actions and an another must be paid to fix the consequences.”

“Of course!” The queen, who had been quietly observing Kris, placed her hand on her husband’s to stop the man from speaking. “I propose a child of the Royal Family.”

A gasp spreads throughout the hall and everyone’s shocked eyes looked back and forth between the King and the Queen.

“A dragon,” the queen patiently continued, “lives a long life, a lonely life for the most part. Having a company for a small amount of time would serve to ease the restless mind. Having a dragon be part of the kingdom would greatly benefit us during times like these.”

A realization spread through the king’s eyes.

“My Queen is as wise as she is noble. I only wish that the Great Dragon will accept the offer.”

From the short time Kris had stayed in the palace and in the kingdom, there wasn’t anything spectacular about either of them. He had visited more grand and magical places and compared to them, this was almost on a peasant’s level.

The Great Hall would not even hold Kris’s dragon form and the decorations of such an important place was sad to say the least. Kris had to think over the offer.

“ _This place lacks in many ways, however, it is still young. You must think of the potentials and see the grand picture._ ”

“ _Tao, you noticed the mountain pass that we flew over two days ago. Does it fall under this kingdom?_ ” Kris was doing well at ignoring the looks he was receiving and calmly outweighed his options.

“ _Do you speak of the one with the enchanted forest?_ ”

Leave it up to the raven to know exactly what Kris was thinking. He knew the bird could hear his thoughts and vice versa but maybe it could also see images in Kris’s memory.

“ _That forest is under no one's rule. However, in time, it could be. This kingdom will expand and the west will be the most ideal direction._ ”

“ _I see._ ”

The wizard cleared his throat to bring the dragon’s attention back to the hall. He knew better than to disturb a dragon during any occasion and a sudden chill that ran over his back would have made anyone less experienced whimper in fear.

Tao stood up from his seat and with a loud voice, the loudest it had been since they got to the kingdom, addressed the waiting audience.

“Your offer has been accepted.”

An air of relief washed over the crowd in unison that brought a smirk to Kris’s face.

“However, there are terms you must agree to.” The King and the Queen both nodded. “My master is still young. He will return before he’s fully mature and claim one of yours as his own. Rest assured, we do not wish to break your traditions, thus only the middle born child, be it male or female, will be picked. In addition to clearing this darkness that falls upon your kingdom, my lord is willing to offer a protective cover that will look after these lands until his return. Of course, that is simply so that the Royal Family prospers until what has been promised to my master is given to him in full.”

The King stood up with as much grace and power as his frail body could muster. Following their leader, everyone else soon raised onto their feet and readied themselves for whatever was to follow. However, what came next surprised the court but not the dragon. It was the least the King could do.

The King was bowing to the Great Dragon.

Kris stood up with true power that only a dragon could possess as those around him fell onto their knees and hands. He knew that the King, even though bowing, was carefully watching the beast. Thus, with a simple nod of acceptance, the dragon pushed away from the table, hunger satisfied, and briskly walked out of the hall with a black smoke closely following after.

*

Red. Everything was tinted in red.

Kris shook his head, clearing his consciousness, trying to break the spell.

The hunt for the source of the dark magic lead the dragon to the small village, on the outskirts of the kingdom, where everything had begun. He knew that the source of the magic was powerful but he had to get closer to truly know it’s true strength.

It was certain to Kris that his presence was already detected. The heavy red cloud rummaging in his mind, uncomfortably different from Tao’s, was a sign that the wielder of the dark magic had already began their fight.   

“ _Do you feel it too?_ ”

Kris abandoned using the front of the village and began looking around the burnt fences of buildings that were still relatively intact. One of them had to be the hideout. Tao was observing the village and Kris’s movements from a distance, in the safety of the woods. The raven was a guide, not a fighter.

“ _Only when I’m in your mind, my lord. My consciousness is clear and you may use it at your will._ ”

With a deep concentration, Kris focused on the fire in his chest and with a wave of heat the cloud of red dissipated. It was about time he began using his powers. It took another moment of concentration before Kris located the power surge emitting from a small hut, too small for a grown man to reside in. Was he not fighting a warlock?

It didn’t matter who Kris’s opponent was now that he knew he could easily surpass their powers with small amount of his own. However, with caution and stealth, he reached the hut where his eyes widened in disbelief.

Sounds of whimpering and quiet sobbing were coming out of the hideout. Sounds from a child. This was new to Kris and he wished that Tao could have witnessed him pulling up the cow skin covers to, indeed, reveal a boy no older than five. However, his hair was so fair, so white that it was almost comical against the dirty, dry skin. When the child turned his frightened eyes up at the dragon, his tears came down harder and the power emitted from his small body almost doubled in strength.

“ _My lord,_ ” Tao swooped down and gracefully landed on the man’s shoulder, “ _I advise you put out your fire. He’s truly frightened and I fear he did not mean to cause any of this._ ”

The dragon did not want to yield so quickly, however, Kris did as he was told. Instantly, the child’s power declined but he was nowhere near ending his tears. Having been raised on his own and alone until he met Tao, Kris was not the most social of creatures. Thus, being caring, thoughtful, and gentle towards others, especially kids, were not his forte.

Tao’s human form stepped into his view and he watched on as it slowly lowered itself until its face was on the same level as the child’s. Amazingly, the sobbing ended with few hiccups here and there accompanied with deep, dry breaths.

“It’s okay, we will not harm you.”

Tao reached out its hand and waited patiently until the child did the same. Kris was filled with questions but he knew better than to disrupt whatever Tao was trying to do. It was working and he didn’t want another crying session.

Once the child was secure in Tao’s embrace, eyes half closed, thin body curled up, seeking for warmth, was when Kris addressed his companion.

“ _Do explain. I’m afraid my age has finally made itself clear since I do not have the wisdom to comprehend what I’m seeing._ ”

The bitterness of his admission brought a smile to the raven. Tao made an eye contact when replying while its hand ran through the soft white locks.

“ _I understand, my lord. I’ve witnessed such occurrence twice before. When the village was being burned down with the humans still inside, I’m afraid their feelings of fear, sadness, anger, and betrayal was seeping out uncontrollably. He, you see,_ ” Tao looked down at the sleeping child, “ _is actually not a human. I’m certain he was a young pup that happened upon the scene of death. His pureness encapsulated their emotions._ ”

“ _How did that turn into a magic this great, enough to turn him into a human child? Did he have magic to begin with?_ ” Kris wondered, forgetting that Tao could hear him clearly.

“ _Anything is possible with magic. Sometimes it emerges from nowhere and leaves with no warning. This pup will now need to be taken under so that the darkness can be undone._ ”

Kris looked down at the two and nodded his head with a resolve. He knew what he had to do. As one born from magic and one that will be taken by magic, he must do everything in his power to control the magic and stop it at a sight of misuse. The worst offense, forcing magic onto an unwanted body, had to be stopped.

Tao untangled the child’s thin fingers from its black cloth so that the child could be handed to Kris. The dragon’s hands securely raised the boy until their foreheads were gently pressed up together. The death around them finally made its presence known but Kris didn’t care.

One beat. The heat rose and seeped into the child. Two beats. Tao’s strong wings beat against the cold air towards its previous post. Three beats. Death vibrated through the land on which the Great Dragon stood on, fighting for the will of the people, craving for all innocence in its path.

A bright flash of white light grew around the boy, highlighting his frail body, mixing with the dragon’s own fiery light. Tao, from the distance long away from the two, closed its eyes, unable to differentiate the two bodies, two lights now emerged as one.

“ _Come, release the power. Trust in your own self._ ”

As a dragon, Kris did not need conjuring words to cast his spells but using words for encouragement always seemed to work well on non-magical beings. The trick seemed to work when he felt no further resistance from the animal.

The two stood there until Kris knew for certain that his spell was complete. Looking down at the white pup the size of his own two hands, bunched up in its own tail and fur, he smiled as his thumb ran over the wet patch under his eye, white fur as soft as he had thought.

“ _He looks so fragile now._ ” Tao came back, looking intently at the animal. “ _What are your plans for the small thing?_ ”

Kris looked around the village to check that the darkness had indeed dissipated away. However, the pulsing in his hands told him otherwise.

“ _The power is still in this little one. He needs to be kept under for the time being._ ” He turned to address the raven. “ _Tao, report to the King. I’ll be at the western passage by nightfall._ ”

With no further instructions, Tao rose back into the air and made haste towards the kingdom.

“ _Now, little one, how shall we make your long slumber comfortable?_ ”

He walked out of the ruined village, away from the smoke and ashes and the remnants of death. The white wolf pup was from the forests to start with and that was where he would feel most at ease. However, Kris had a new forest in mind for him. One filled with magic down to its roots, one where he would be able to surpass any flyaway darkness from his small body.

Within an hour’s journey the two found themselves under an ageless tree, standing tall, overbearing the forest itself. He gently placed the child in the crevice of the trunk, roomy enough for the wolf.

“ _Sleep, rest, wait. The time around you is now frozen and will remain so until I come back. Wait till then, little one._ ”

With his final farewell, the barks from the tree grew over the sleeping animal, crawling up over its trunk, merging, hiding all that was beneath them. No trace. Perfectly hidden for many years to come.     

*

“We cannot thank you enough.” The wizard bowed to Tao. “When we witnessed the dead bodies fall down in front of our eyes we knew right away that the Great Dragon kept true to his words.”

Everyone around the court were on their hands and knees. The King and the Queen had their heads down in respect and gratitude. Tao had done nothing but his master would rather have the raven come for ceremony rather than himself. Granted, Tao knew better than to return empty handed thus was busy collecting food without anyone’s knowledge, black smoke covering and leaving nothing behind. Gratitude and food was part of the payment.

“My master has placed his blessings upon your lands and will come back after three generations. Of course, he will claim what has been promised to him. Do not forget that.”

“Of course.” The King answered the raven.

Tao silently watched the man, reading his eyes, seeing his future. The King felt the power running through his mind and the unsettling mass over his body forced him to look away from the Time Rover.

The raven could see the future as easily as he could read his master’s thoughts. However, he had no reason to or want to reveal what has yet to pass.

“I see.”

Smoke began rising from beneath Tao’s feet until every part of the raven, except for its face, was hidden behind it. With a last bow of its own and a meaningful look towards the King, the smoke thinned out into the air until nothing was left to remind the court of Tao’s presence.               

 


	2. Chapter 2

*

“The prince! I lost him again!” A woman in her late thirties broke into the guard’s quarters with a panicked look. With the delivery of the news, three men seated around the armory jumped up onto their feet, ready.

“Again? How hard is it to look after a six-year-old? The Queen is going to have our heads if we can’t find him before the luncheon.” One of the men shouted at the woman with a bewildered expression. “Well, woman! Tell us where?”

It had been the third incident and no one around the castle could figure out how a child so young could escape his nanny and manage to get through the gates that were guarded with dozens of soldiers per mile. He was either very smart and sneaky or extremely lucky. Either way, the notion of a child, much less a prince, disappearing was a cause for concern and panic.    

“Yes, yes! We were close to the city gates, I’m afraid he’s outside the palace walls by now.”

“Men!” Two other soldiers ran into the room. “Prepare the hounds. We have quarter till noon to locate Prince Baekhyun.” He paused on his way out and addressed everyone present in the room. “Remember, no one must know that the prince got out, especially the Royal Family.”

“Yes sir!”

*

Kris thanked the woman who handed him freshly baked bread rolls with a quick bow. She did the same and bid him farewell. He sat down on the small seating provided in front of the shop to take a breather and eat something before his dragon self-became too demanding. Kris had planned on getting meat or poultry, however, the smell of a freshly made baked goods was too hard to resist. He hadn’t had bread in a long time so it shouldn’t be a big problem to eat one as a snack until he found a more suitable supper.

The journey to the kingdom was long but well worth it. After the events of saving the current kingdom’s future many years ago, Kris had been busy traveling and growing. He knew that being a young dragon was a great excuse to poke his snout into dangers and quests he encountered in a name of learning, against the numerous times Tao had warned him. However, that was part of the learning process. Some he was able to accomplish with his eyes closed but there were others that almost ended his long majestic life.

Now that he was much older and wiser than his first visit to the kingdom, Kris had a new way of seeing his surroundings. He had heard a great deal during his travels of how one particular kingdom had been growing like no other. Somehow that made Kris very proud but he never told anyone that he was the dragon who was famously guarding the newly famed kingdom.

As he walked around the streets and alleys of the city that was located right below the grand palace on a cliff, overlooking the vast kingdom, Kris noticed that things truly had changed. The people, for one, were no longer screaming and panicking. They all looked much healthier and wore and ate things of quality even for commoners.

There were more landmarks and intricate designs and structures for buildings and decoration. The aura in general was much calmer and welcoming and Kris liked that much better. He looked up to see the black bird flying overhead keeping up with its master.

“ _As always, Tao, you were right this time too._ ”

“ _Thank you, my lord. I’m also very pleased that this kingdom was able to prosper to this level._ ”

During his training, Kris learned to utilize Tao for his amazing abilities. One of the most recent and useful skills Kris learned was to see what Tao was seeing. With minimal concentration, Kris’s eyes turned purple and he saw exactly what the raven saw. The bird had found a small area, little ways ahead, where there were trees and flowers of plenty and no foot traffic. Perfect place to eat the small pork meal he had bought.

“ _This way, my lord._ ”

With a nod Kris followed Tao through the morning crowd.

*****

“I don’t remember the other princes ever doing this to us.” One of the soldiers complained under his breath when the five of them stopped to rest for a second.

The leader of the group, man with a strong build and a face full of hair, sent a warning look at his comrade. No matter how true the statement was, they had no right to talk bad of the Royal Family. It was their duty to keep the princes safe and well until they were old enough to defend themselves.

However, none of them could figure out how exactly a child only passed his sixth birthday was able to escape their watch so easily. The rumor around the palace was that compared to his two older brothers, Prince Joonmyun and Prince Jongdae, who were more like their calm and patient father, Prince Baekhyun was more like his mother. That meant that the youngest prince’s adventurous mind and endless energy was no match to anyone. The bundle of light that was Prince Baekhyun was the life of the family and it made it that much more important that they found him safe.   

“Let’s try the gardens around the town square. He seems to be fond of those places.”        

*

Kris sorted through his parcel that had his recently bought and surprisingly hot food. After finding the little makeshift garden, the dragon’s face lit up at the sight of a small stone table with two wooden benches by its side. He quickly sat down and placed his belongings on the table to relax and enjoy his early lunch. He had plans later in the afternoon to visit an old friend and wanted to start his day right.

Tao sat on a branch of the closest tree, black beak running through its wings to fix some feathers. The bird’s head turned to look towards a small opening between buildings which Kris had used.

“ _Visitor_.”

Kris took his attention away from his food towards the small being standing in front of him, good five steps away. The dragon’s eyebrows raise in surprise. He had not expected to see a child by himself so early in the morning. From the clothes and hair, the child must have been from a wealthy family. Kris wondered if the boy was lost. He wasn’t crying and Kris didn’t get any negative feelings from him. Maybe not lost and just out on a stroll?

The child tentatively looked back at Kris for a moment before nodding his head like he had just come to a very decisive conclusion. His little feet carried him all the way towards the dragon who hadn’t looked away from the brave little thing sitting down across from him.

“Hey mister, what’re you eating?”

Kris’s mouth stretched into a smile. He looked down at his food, following the boy's eyes and continued to open up the containers so that it was on full display. The child sniffed at the steam that rose from Kris’s soup and a bright smile broke over the youthful features.

“Are you gonna eat it all?”

The look of anticipation prompted Kris to push the soup container towards the boy. He then turned back into his bag to locate a wooden spoon. It might be a little too big for a child but he beamed happily and gratefully accepted the spoon. With great enthusiasm, he spooned out a healthy portion before abruptly stopping.

“Mister should take first bite. It’s yours.”

Kris was taken back by the comment but pointed down at another bowl with bread and meat. He was fine letting the kid have his soup since he had other things to feast on. However, the child stretches out his hand holding the spoon filled with food at the dragon with wide and waiting eyes.  Kris looked down at the small hand trying its best to hold up the weight of the food and he couldn’t do anything but smile.

With a nod he reached forward and took the offered food into this mouth. The child pulled back with a satisfied grin and quickly went to eating.

“ _Strange one, don’t you think?_ ”

“ _Brave, I haven’t seen a child so open with adults in a long time._ ” The raven answered. Kris couldn’t agree more. He also began eating his share but watching the child enjoying his food strangely made him feel content and full.

“Hey mister, you can’t talk?”

Kris’s eyes meet the child’s and he shook his head. The boy nodded with a thoughtful look.

“It’s okay. One of the nannies can’t speak also. I don’t see her because I have my own nanny, but that other nanny seems to be nice.”

Kris wondered if the child was trying to comfort him.

“By the way, my name is Baekhyun. I would ask yours but you can’t talk.” He dramatically sighed.

The dragon smiled in amusement but then his mind paused his thoughts.

“ _Tao, what were the prince’s names?_ ”

“ _Prince Joonmyun, Prince Jongdae, and Prince Baekhyun. I believe we have the youngest prince as our guest this morning._ ”

“ _So it seems. I can’t imagine that there are many children named Baekhyun._ ”

“Hey mister, do you think that bird wants some?” A small finger pointed up at Tao with a curious look. “He’s been looking at my food.”

The dragon looked up at his companion who was looking at the child and not his food and decided that maybe he should just play along. He took a small piece of his bread and held it up.

“ _My lord?_ ” Tao’s confusion made Kris chuckle.

“ _Just humor the child._ ”

The big black bird swept down from the branch he was sitting on and took the bread. Baekhyun’s laugh resonated through the small garden and he happily clapped his hands. Kris watched him digging through his soup trying to find something that would be edible by the bird and easy for him to hold. Baekhyun looked up when he saw the man sitting in front of him hand a piece of his bread. He took the offering with a smile.

The next five minutes were spent with Baekhyun holding out pieces of bread for Tao to sweep out of his tiny fingers. Each time was as amusing as the previous and the kid’s laughter was contagious. Kris found himself smiling and internally laughing along.

“ _My lord, I apologize for breaking your fun but guards are coming._ ”

Kris nodded his head in understanding. He packed up his portion of the food and placed it all back into his bag. Baekhyun looked at the man with a confused look and tried to eat faster. Kris chuckled and shook his head to tell the child that he could slow down and take his time.

The tall man stood up and Baekhyun had to really bend his neck to be able to look at him. He didn’t know that the man was that tall. Kris bowed his head respectfully and Baekhyun quickly did the same. The boy noticed that the blackbird was no longer sitting on the tree but flying away over the buildings. When he looked back at the man, he was no longer there. Gone without any noise or trace.

“Prince Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun turned around in his seat to see palace guards running into the garden. They were soon all around him.

“Prince Baekhyun, please refrain from wandering away from your nannies.” One of them said with a stern look.

“Were you eating something? You can’t eat random things, Prince Baekhyun.” Another panicked as he looked through his soup.

The prince sighed and nodded his head. He was sorry for making them all worry but there wasn’t anything to worry about. He had a yummy soup and played with a friendly black bird. He also made a friend. Unfortunately, he didn’t know the man’s name but there was always a next time.

*

“ _The forest is much more active than last time._ ” Kris leaped over a boulder and scared a family of rabbits away from their feeding ground. Tao’s perched up on his shoulder, the density of the forest made it impossible for the bird to fly around if not above the trees.

“ _The magic of this place is far greater than before. No one kingdom has claimed the lands because none of them are able to tame it._ ”

Kris easily moved some thick branches away from his path without even moving or muttering spells.

“ _Perfect place for a dragon to make its home, don’t you think?_ ”

Tao’s head turns back and forth looking through all the unruly plants and trees before answering its master.

“ _My lord, wouldn’t it be better finding a cave or something with larger space. I highly doubt your dragon form, in its full size, can fit here._ ”

“ _Rational as always. Don’t worry Tao, I think I will be in my human form for now. I think there’s a spot I can clear out for a new house._ ”

The two continue their journey through the forest with little difficulty. Many of the beasts taking residence in the forest all scurried away at the presence of a dragon, even if he was in his human form. In less than an hour’s walk, a familiar tree stood proudly in front of the dragon.

Kris closed his eyes and placed his hand on the tree, palm directly on a small swirl, when smoke began seeping through his fingers. The air pressure changed dramatically and things not anchored to the earth began rising up. Once Kris opened his eyes, a bright flash of light broke through the cracks of the tree.

“ _Time to awaken, little one. I see that magic is no longer running through your veins. I hope that you’ve rested._ ”

Chips of the trunk fell onto the forest floor until a small ball of white fur, curled up on itself, was presented to Kris. The dragon gently took the pup out of the tree and quickly the hole began growing back and filling itself.

“ _Is it just me or has this fellow gotten smaller?_ ” Kris asked Tao with a curious look at the animal.

“ _It’s possible that you’ve grown in the last hundreds of years. However, now you are here and your coming of age will be in ten years, so I doubt you will physically grow anymore._ ”

Kris knew that well. He came back for that exact reason. Within ten years he had to create a place where he could bring his future prince or princess to live with him. After living so many years by himself, Kris would be lying if he said that he was beginning to feel lonely. Tao was not the company he needed. The Time Rover was an extension of him. He only hoped that the prince or the princess will be that something he always felt missing.

The pup snuggled into his large palms and a smile spread across Kris’s face.

*

It was strange. Kris couldn’t tell why it kept happening only that it was and he didn’t mind. Every time the dragon visited the kingdom, once or twice a month, be it to the lower towns or upper courts, he ran into the youngest prince.

In the beginning it was funny to watch the small child bouncing towards him with so much excitement in his eyes but after the first five times, Kris was seriously concerned over the security in the palace. Baekhyun was only six and managing to escape the guards and his nanny that many times was just strange.

However, once Kris was found by the little prince, he would spend some time buying the boy anything he wanted. In the beginning, Baekhyun would ask for food, not candy, surprisingly, but actual food. His favorite was meat and Kris, strangely, was proud of that. Later on, after eating majority of the food that were sold in the town, Baekhyun began asking for toys and trinkets he could take with him.

All of the child’s actions were endearing to the dragon and he began to look forward to somehow running into him. It was all too nice.

*

“Your Highnesses.” A witch, cloaked in ruby and gold, rushed into the Royal Room and landed on her knees, head down.

“Rise,” The queen addressed the royal magician, “what has you in such hurry?”

The woman on the ground stood up but her head was still bent down.

“I’m afraid I bear bad news.”

The queen also stood up from her love-seat to personally see to what her witch was concerned over. The maids around her rush to their queen’s aid as the said woman gently held onto her stomach.

“Your Highness, before I begin, I was on my here to inform you that you will be having twin daughters.”

“Heavens! Finally, girls!” The queens excited voice brought smiles to everyone in the room, except for the witch.

“Please, your Highness, I’ve yet to completely tell everything. I was truly happy to deliver the happy news when I was stopped on my track by a strong presence. The Great Dragon is here and I’m afraid he has already made contact with one of the children.”

The room fell silent. Some looked confused as to how such news could be bad, was the dragon an enemy? Others knew exactly what that meant and the queen was one of them. The color flushed from her cheeks as she stepped back, her maid rushing to catch her if needed.

Ever since the queen was a child, a princess to another kingdom, the stories had traveled and she always thought of it as a myth. The great kingdom to the north was saved by a Great Dragon of immense power who had promised to protect the kingdom only if a child was given in return. Once the queen married into the kingdom, she heard the details of the story but still did not believe it to be true.

Many dragons have come and gone through their kingdom with no demand for child, further burying the story as a myth. The numbers of the Great Dragons were also decreasing, no new ones born while the old passed away, so the chances of one coming to them was more and more less likely.

However, with the news from the witch which she trusted, the queen knew. She knew that those stories were no longer something told during parties to entrain but something that was true and will take one of her children away.

“Wait,” the queen looked at the witch, “if what you say is true, then I have three sons and two little ones on their way. If everything is well then my middle child,” her breath came out shaky, “my Baekhyun, will be taken away from me? To a monster?”

The witch’s silence told her all that she needed to know.

“My husband!” The frantic queen called out. “Where is the King? I must see him at this moment!”

The woman broke into the king’s meeting room with the witch following after. She quickly delivered the news to which the king reacted just like his wife. The king, the queen, and the council, along with the royal witch, spent the remainder of the night discussing the future fate of their kingdom and their prince.

*

“ _You were correct, my lord._ ” Tao landed in the middle of a large clearing inside the enchanted forest.

Kris had asked Tao to keep a watch over the kingdom. He had a strong feeling that the Royal family was no longer willing to give up their child. They would either demand something more or deny everything.

“ _Humans, so predictable. Did you figure out which child is the middle one?_ ”

“ _The queen is pregnant with twins. If there are no complications with the birth, then Prince Baekhyun will the chosen child. Otherwise it will be Prince Jongdae._ ”

Kris stood up and patted his pants clean of dirt and grass. He had been busy making the clearing all day, with both of his physical and magical powers. Everything was going as planned so nothing, not even the king and the queen, could ruin what was already put into motion many years ago.

“ _So what do they plan to do? I’m sure the witch of theirs is smart and could fool another dragon._ ”

The raven looked around the clearing and black smoke erupted from beneath it, hovering over the remaining grass until it dissipated and completely cleared, taking everything with it. Kris nodded at Tao with approval and also took a moment to evaluate the work. It was bare and ready for stones to be placed for smoother, even surface, or a stronger foundation.

“ _They are sending Prince Baekhyun away._ ”

Kris’s head turned to face the bird with a confused expression.

“ _How will that stop me from getting to him?_ ”

“ _I believe the witch plans to hide his tracks so that he can’t be followed. She plans to sacrifice her magic to conjure the spell._ ”

Kris was really intrigued.

“ _Oh? She’s willing to do that much? Now I want to let her do it only to show her that that will have no effect on me._ ” A challenging smirk spread over Kris’s face. “ _Let them do whatever they wish. I will get what I was promised one way or another._ ”

*

“How’s the prince doing?” A woman asked another while they were arranging pottery in the castle’s kitchen. It was well past midnight and only the two of them were present to gossip and keep the night’s silence at bay.

“Oh that poor child. How do you think he’s doing?” The other woman, bigger in size but her voice was more fair and quite, “What kind of child would take it well when their parents decide to send them away. I honestly can’t believe the King and the Queen are doing this.”

“Prince Baekhyun is the light of this place. I heard it was to protect him.” She handed over a pot and began on another pile. “I’m sure they have a good reason. Let’s just pray that the prince understands that they are sending him off because they love him greatly.”

“Let’s not talk about that,” the smaller woman finished up her side and walked over to her friend, “it hurts my heart to think, much less talk, about it.”

*

Baekhyun looked out at the night sky with puffy eyes and face wet with snot and tears. It had been only a minute since he stopped his weeping. The little prince kept thinking back to what his parent’s had said.

“ _My dear, in order for us to keep you from being taken away by a monster, we must send you away. But don’t worry, we will visit you as often as we can. You brothers will be there every summer and once your sisters are born and old enough they too will come. Also, the place you will be living at will provide you anything you want, you just have to ask for it, okay?_ ”

“ _But I want to stay here, can I ask them that? Will they bring me here then?_ ”

“ _Oh sweetie, that is the only thing I’m afraid we will not allow. But anything else, anything you want to eat, drink, play with. Just know that we all love you so much. Okay?_ ”

Baekhyun was smart for his age and tried his very best to understand where his parents were coming from. They were trying to protect him. He had to be a big boy, now that he had two little sisters coming, and not cry like a baby. He had to accept that one day he would come back and be united with his family and live happily ever after.

A small noise broke his thoughts and he looked back at his window again. A smile bloomed over the child’s face when the familiar raven pecked at the wood around his window.

“Mr. Birdie! What are you doing here?”

Baekhyun approached the bird until he felt cold around his legs, a black smoke seeping from the bird was curling around the prince. Before the child could make a sound, everything turned black. Fortunately, it lasted less than a second and Baekhyun found himself at the palace garden.

“What?” The child turned around in panic until he saw the familiar tall man standing in front of him. The man’s face was soft and inviting as always so Baekhyun automatically run up to him. Kris extended his arms to wrap the child and brought him up to his eye level.

“Mister, we meet again!”

However, as soon as those words came out, Baekhyun’s eyes teared up and he remembered that he would not see the man for a while because he was being sent away.

“Mister,” his voice broke slightly, “I’m moving. I don’t think you can buy me things anymore.”

Kris had expected that much. No child would be okay with being sent away. He made sure that Baekhyun was secure in one of his arms before hiding the other one behind his back. With a smile that would hopefully make the child calm down, he brought his hand back and held his hand up to Baekhyun.

The little prince looked down and his eyes widened to an unbelievable size.

“Is that for me?”

Kris nodded and Baekhyun shrieked in excitement, making Kris pull back and waking up the poor little white wolf pup in Kris’s hand. Small hands came up to gently run through the silky white fur and the little pup shook his head to wake himself up.

“Thank you, mister. I will take good care of him.”

“Who’s there?!” A shout from the garden’s entrance startled the two young ones. Kris sighed to himself before placing down the prince who had the wolf pup in his hands. The animal looked much bigger in Baekhyun’s arms than it did in Kris’s and the dragon fondly smiled at the two.

“Show yourself!”

More shouts and footsteps startled the two again and Baekhyun turned around to greet the night security.

“Prince Baekhyun! What are you doing here?”

Baekhyun turned around to find himself alone, once again. He shrugged his shoulder and addressed the guards.

“I saw him and wanted to get him. He’s mine now!” He showed the wolf pup, who was now waving his tale, fully awake. “I’m his master now, his name is Sehun and I will take him with me everywhere!”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

*

“Your Highnesses,” a palace guard bowed in respect as he addressed the two seated at the throne, “two men have requested for your audience, they bear this seal.”

The King looked down at the golden pendent the soldier held up for inspection and the color of his face noticeably drained. At the sudden change in her husband’s complexion, the Queen turned her attention towards the offending object.

“It can’t be.”

The King came back to his senses at his Queen's voice and quickly addressed the guard.

“I grant their request. Gather the court.”

“Yes, your Highness.” The soldier made his exit, leaving the two to their concerned thoughts.

*

The Royal Sorcerer looked up at the throne. His large, round eyes held no hostility but only confusion and want for the King to listen to his words.

“Kyungsoo,” the King spoke, “you are wise and powerful, I do not doubt you or take light of your words. However, we are all aware of your strange softness towards the dragons. You must also understand that they are dangerous because they are _too_ powerful.” The man on the throne sighed as he clasped onto the Queen’s hand in his own. The Lady of the Kingdom nodded her head in agreement.

“Your Highness, with that exact mentality the noble race has only few remaining. Just because of few young hot blooded dragons, we cannot condemn and destroy the lot.” Kyungsoo’s voice came out spiteful and those around him, sorcerers and apprentices alike, began shuffling at the growing tension between their trade and kingdom masters.   

“Are you questioning the King’s decision? He has given you an order!” Another man shouted from across the hall at the young sorcerer.

Kyungsoo spared no glance at the Court Official.

“I have sworn to protect this Kingdom with all my might. At the current moment, I see no hostility towards it. This dragon that you speak of has been living amongst us for the past twelve years. Other than us sensing his presence whenever he comes into the capital, we have not even seen him in person. He has not given us a reason to fear.” Kyungsoo’s voice was getting louder with each word, however, he managed to remain respectful so to not offend the Royal Family. “We cannot kill someone with no faults.”

“Then will you be the one responsible when it does decide to become hostile.” The Court Officials never seemed to see eye-to-eye with those who wielded magic. Kyungsoo could never understand nor trust them. “The King’s order is a preventive measure. We cannot sit here wondering “what ifs” and place our Kingdom and people in danger. If you could look into the future and ensure us of our safety, then we will never bring up this matter again.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes remained on the throne, steadily observing, and he could clearly see that the King and the Queen would not see his point. With a dejected sigh and a loyalty to his trade, he addressed the court.

“Your Highnesses, I believe it is time for me to step down from my post. The court has made it clear that maybe I have more to learn because I cannot turn a blind eye and do what you have ordered me to do.” He bowed his head.

The King stood up with a look of shock as Kyungsoo quickly walked down the Throne Room. The remaining sorcerers began panicking and murmuring amongst themselves.

“Insolence!” Members of the court began calling out. The King raised his hand to silence all.

“Jinki!” The called man stepped out with a bow. “Is there anyone amongst you that can handle a dragon?”

“I apologize,” the sorcerer fell to his knees, “Master Kyungsoo was the only one capable of such tasks. A dragon can only be killed with magic of equal or stronger power. None of us are at that level. However, united, we can build a protective shield if our premonitions are true of the dragon’s power.”

Before anyone else could interject, a royal guard entered the room with his head bowed.

“The guests are here.”

The King waved his arm to dismiss the guard and once again spoke up to address the court.

“We will listen to what the dragon wishes to say. However, I warn you all from speaking up.”

The doors to the Throne Room opened again to reveal two men, one cloaked in all black, matching his dark hair and piercing eyes, while the other looked more royal than the two on the throne. However, a look in the man’s eyes had the court holding their breaths.

The two steadily walked towards the throne, their steps echoing through the silence of the court, until the one in all black spoke up.

“Your Highnesses, the Royal Court, I present you my master, the Great Dragon, Kris. I am called Tao, his Time Rover, and will be speaking on his behalf. He has come to make arrangements.”

“Arrangements?” The King questioned with a small smirk hidden beneath the man’s beard.

“Yes,” Tao looked directly at the man, “he’s come to claim what has been promised to him.”

“Promised? Good Sir, you are not making any sense. Is this not our first meeting?”

Tao looked at his master for a second and bowed his head.

“The middle child of the royal family is coming of age in three months’ time. That day my master will return again. I hope the preparations will be complete by then.”

“Nonsense!” The King stood up with rage running through his body, a smirk graced over Kris’s face. The King’s mouth twisted and opened to say more but a gentle hand quickly silenced him. The Queen smiled and patted the man on his forearm calmingly.

“A promise is a promise. A middle child of the Royal blood will be ready.”

Gasps are heard throughout the court and the King’s eyes question his Queen’s words. She only smiled in assurance before addressing their guests again.

“Until then.”

“Thank you, your Highness.” Tao bowed deeply and the two left as quickly as they came. At the last echo of the grand doors closing, the shouting ensued.

“Your Highness! What is the meaning of this?”

“Are we really giving Prince Baekhyun away this easily?”

“Madness!”

“Silence!” The King took a deep breath and turned to his wife who had only continued to smile. “My Queen, please, you must have a reason?”

“Of course.” She pulled her husband towards his seat and let the old man relax. “Gentlemen, I have listened to all you had to say about the dragon and the prophecy. However, I too have some knowledge of the ancient beast. They are strong and vicious, yes, but they also have a strong sense of honor and pride.”

The court nodded in agreement, waiting for the queen to continue.

“For that reason, we must make preparations. The dragon will not take something that already rightfully belongs to another. I rather have my son marry another of royal blood, another Nobility, another human.”

The King sat, thinking to himself. With each passing moment his head began to nod with vigor and in the end he finally spoke.

“But what do we give the dragon?”

“This Kingdom has grown immensely and we have many that carry the Royal blood. I’m sure we will find a nice girl who will do us the honor.”

“Your Majesty,” a manservant spoke up, “I will secretly arrange for a replacement to be found.”

“Thank you, you must go in haste.”

The servant bowed and quickly made his way out of the court with three others following after.

“Minho, send a word to Evedon. It is time for a union in matrimony.”

*

“ _I’m impressed. They managed to do all this in a month?_ ” Kris looked down at the Kingdom from a mountain near its western borders. His eyes could see the main square where the parade began all the way till the gates of the Royal Castle. The crowd was increasing by the hour and Kris was strongly tempted to be there, enjoying the festivities. Unfortunately, he had bigger matters to take care of.

“ _Yes, the King and the Queen spared no manpower or expenses for the wedding. There’s still two months left before Prince Baekhyun’s coming of age ceremony._ ”

The raven’s beak ran through its long black wings, ruffled through the feathers. After a moment of self-grooming, the bird’s head turned to look at Kris with an observant look.

“ _Is there something amusing?_ ”

Kris shook his head and a smile finally bloomed over his stern features. Of course Tao would know how the dragon was feeling and yes, just as the raven had sensed, Kris was very amused.

“ _I still can’t believe they are keeping the identities of the happy couple “secret.” I suppose humans need something to gossip about._ ”

After their meeting with the Royal family and the Court, Kris and Tao both knew that the promise made by the Queen was meant to trick them. Tao’s smoke form had lingered back to witness what actually was planned and it amused Kris to no end.

It was too easy to figure out who they selected to take Prince Baekhyun’s place and who the prince would be getting married to. While the Royal family was planning for the secret wedding that just made Kris chuckle every time he thought of, the dragon also was making his own plans.

Tao’s head sharply turned towards a small carriage that was hastily weaving through the thick forest, headed towards the bustling kingdom.

“ _My lord, he’s finally here._ ”

Kris spotted the vehicle and gently smiled.

“ _Welcome back, my prince._ ”

*

Baekhyun looked out through the small window at the massive city up ahead. The closer he got, more confusing his emotions felt to him. He couldn’t believe he was finally back home, a place that he had almost no memory of. No one could blame him, he’d been only six when he was forcefully sent away.

However, the excitement was mainly from finally seeing his siblings all in one place. For safety reasons his brothers and sisters were not allowed to visit Baekhyun all at once. It had always been one or two at a time and he truly missed the feel of a large family gatherings.

Other than his immediate family members, no one else had seen him since his sixth birthday. Sure he had twenty or so servants and workers he grew up with, but a whole Kingdom of people was now expecting to see him. That would make anyone nervous.

But above all, he was mad. Furious. He was finally allowed to come back just to get married and shipped off to a whole different kingdom. Baekhyun could not believe or understand his parents. When he got the news he spent a good day breaking everything in his sight to vent out his frustrations and feelings of utter betrayal.

He could feel the tension building up in his body with just the thought of why he was coming back. A jingle rang through the small carriage and a warmth envelope Baekhyun’s lap and hands. The prince looked down and his shoulders deflate.

“Sehun,” Baekhyun ran his fingers through the white fur of his beloved wolf, “are you trying to comfort me?”

The wolf looked up at Baekhyun with a blank look before licking at the man’s face until Baekhyun had to push the muzzle away while his laugh bounced off of the wooden walls.

“Okay, okay. I’m actually going to be hugging humans today. Don’t want to smell like your stinky mouth.” He looked back up at the city. “Now, Sehunie, don’t be nervous, okay? We’re meeting many new people today and I know how scary it can be but they will most likely treat us well,” he shakily lets out a sigh, “at least my brothers and sisters will be nice to us! They love you, remember?”

Sehun had no interested in anything the prince was mumbling to himself, just comfortably lying on top of the man’s lap. Baekhyun noticed how big the wolf had gotten since he first picked the pup up. In the small coach, Baekhyun was completely pushed off to the side, pressed right up on the wall, while Sehun was taking up the remaining seating and floor room. However, no matter what, the prince could not go anywhere too far without his companion’s warmth and comfort to always put him at ease.

“Apologies, sire,” a guard, sitting next to the coachman, bent over to peek through the front window, “we will be arriving in less than five minutes.”

“Thank you.” Baekhyun quickly nodded before leaning out to fully view the gates to the kingdom. They were massive, at least compared to the others that he had seen, which only consisted of gates at his own manor. With a held breath, the gates opened in front of the prince’s eyes and the life within the castle walls both shocked and amazed Baekhyun.

“Look Sehun, there are so many people.”

Baekhyun nudged the wolf but the animal did not care to lift his head. Only his ears perked to attention and turned about to catch all the new noises.

The prince’s roaming eyes stopped at one of the many stalls and widened in disbelief that quickly changed into horror. The fingers that were previously gently placed on the wolf’s head press down. At the sudden change, Sehun began raising his head but Baekhyun was determined to keep his sight anywhere but the streets.

“Never mind, there’s nothing interesting to see here. Let's put the covers down, okay?”

The prince smiled down at the wolf and Baekhyun could easily imagine him rolling his eyes at the human. With a heavy sigh and a sudden feeling of dread, the prince remained quiet as they passed through the busy market streets, riding away from a stall with chopped wolf heads and fur rugs.

*

“Baekhyun!”

Excited voices echoed through the halls of the Grand Palace as the mentioned prince made his way towards his living quarters. Baekhyun saw his two brothers and two sisters running at him with so much joy that for a moment he forgot everything that was wrong with his visit.

“Minjin, Minseon! It’s been too long!”

Baekhyun stretched out his arms to greet his bubbly younger twin sisters who came crashing into his hold. Joonmyun and Jongdae came after and didn’t wait until they joined in on the warm family hug, crushing Baekhyun between the huddle.

Sehun’s tail wagged playfully before he also decided to pounce and join the group. One of the men yelped at the sudden weight while the two girls giggled and let go of their brother to play with the white wolf.

“How was the journey?”

“You’ve lost weight, brother!”

“Woah!” Baekhyun put up his hands to stop his brothers from assaulting him with their never ending questions. “One at a time! The journey was long but I’m here now so all is well. And no, my weight should be the same.”

Joonmyun, the oldest of the siblings, had always been too perceptive for anyone’s liking. Even though Baekhyun was showing a dazzling smile, he could see right through it.

“Come, brother, you can tell us. We also think this marriage is ridiculous.” Joonmyun gently placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder and Jongdae nodded from the side.

Baekhyun’s smile wavered and he nodded in defeat.

“Can we speak of this somewhere more private?” He pointed out while looking at all of the guards standing by each window and servants waiting on them at the entrance. Joonmyun called out to the three rolling on the floor with a fond smile.

“You three behave now. We will be in my study.”

“Okay!” The two girls chorused and giggled when Sehun barked out as if answering their brother.

“Minseon, don’t give Sehun too many treats this time, okay?” Baekhyun reminded the girl as he remembered the last time she went little happy-crazy with the wolf and poor Sehun ended up getting sick for two days.

A small pout was directed at the man as Minseon nodded her head.

“Good. Watch over them, Sehun.”

The wolf snorted and Baekhyun could only laugh as he followed his brothers out of the hall.

*

The chapel was filled with nobility and royalty, all excited to know whose wedding they had the honor of attending. Baekhyun still couldn’t believe that the people bought what his parents had told them. Who just accepts that one of the princes or the princesses was getting married and the only way they could find out was to come to the wretched wedding? Everyone, apparently.

The gossips had been spreading like wildfire and now that the moment had come to witness the truth, all eyes were on Baekhyun. It was the worst.

He took a deep breath and made sure that his posture was perfect and that the Royal crest in his right hand was facing the front like everyone had told him in the last hour before the wedding. With each step he could feel the stares, like he was some sort of an exotic animal presented at an auction, and he did his best to push down the bile threatening to come up and show everyone what their prince had for lunch.

Fortunately for Baekhyun, the walk down the aisle was completed much faster than he had anticipated. Unfortunately for Baekhyun, he was that much closer to being married off to a stranger standing next to him.

“Marriage,” the Bishop began with a clear voice, echoing through the silent chapel, “is intended to be a way in which two people help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.” *

Baekhyun swallowed the knot in his throat and without realizing began silently praying for a miracle. How he wished for something to make all this a dream, stop him from going through this marriage.

As if the heavens had answered the prince’s wishes, a crash resonated through the chapel, silencing the Bishop. The stained window on the high altar fell down like water droplets and Baekhyun’s eyes widen in fright as a screeching scream broke everyone into panic.

The prince could hear beating somewhere outside of the building followed by a deafening roar and his brain quickly supplied him with what was making the sound.

“A dragon.”

With each beat of the Great Dragon’s wings against the air, the building shook. The high ceilings of the chapel began to break apart under the pressure and the men and women inside desperately tried to maneuver around the falling pieces while running towards the doors.

“Baekhyun!”

Jongdae’s voice broke Baekhyun from his trance of disbelief, fright, and the younger prince felt a strong jerk from his side. He looked at the source to find his second brother pulling him away. He then looked around to find Joonmyun running with Minjin and Minseon secure in his arms. The soldiers were rushing to cover the Royal Family and Baekhyun could not see his parents. Of course they would have been evacuated already.

A loud boom stopped the two brothers for a second to look up in horror. A giant chunk of the ceiling was torn off so effortlessly to reveal a massive dragon’s head looking down at them. Maybe it was the nerves he had been harboring all day. Maybe it was something that hit his head. Maybe it was just sheer fear of seeing a real life dragon. The last thing Baekhyun remembered was his brother calling his name, the desperation in his voice making his chest tighten more than when he was about to get married off.

The darkness blanketed his mind so comfortably that he willingly let himself go.  

                                    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: * Said by Bishop of London during Prince William and Catherine's wedding but was slightly changed.


	4. Chapter 4

*

A cool breeze felt soothing to the dragon’s scales as he flew through the night sky. He made sure that the flight was steady with no sudden jerks in concern for the prince within his grasp. Soon, Kris saw the outline of the enchanted forest, they were almost home.

“ _My lord, I’ve completed my check, you’ve retained no damage from the attacks,_ ” Tao’s voice echoed through the dragon’s mind. Kris looked around himself to see a sheer black cloud roaming over his dragon form.

“ _Why bother, Tao? Their magic was nothing._ ”

It didn’t take much effort to rip the roof off of the chapel and find Baekhyun right beneath his gaze. The Royal Sorcerers ran out along with more Royal Guards to defend behind them, the dragon’s form looming over the crumbling building. Quickly, Tao had enveloped the prince in its black smoke as Baekhyun lost consciousness, the prince’s safe retrieval was their main priority.

The second prince waved his arms in fright, trying to fight the smoke around them. Unfortunately for the second prince, the battle was lost with a desperate cry as Jongdae looked down with tears in his eyes at a disappearing body in his arms till nothing was left.  

Kris felt small trickles from the spells the sorcerers were using against him, they were confinement spells rather than ones for attack and too weak for Kris to even consider countering. Once he knew that Baekhyun was in Tao’s possession, the dragon left with no care to the shouts and screams behind him.

Once he was airborne, he felt Tao place the prince between his claws, securing him with magic, before vanishing into thin air. The gentle pressure within his grasp gave the dragon a feeling of contentment that he had never felt before.

He could not wait to get to the castle he had built for Baekhyun and to finally begin living with someone other than Tao’s voice in his head.       

*

The banging continued for far longer than Kris would have found bearable. Every cell in his body was screaming at him to make the human stop but Tao had warned him against further scaring the prince and making the situation even worse than it was at the moment.

From the moment Baekhyun opened his eyes, the tiny prince had been going insane in Kris’s opinion. Tao had done his best to explain that there had been a deal between Baekhyun’s Kingdom and the Great Dragon that promised him to be the dragon’s companion.

The prince then began shouting things that Kris could not keep up with and Tao had told him to leave them alone so he could try to calm the human. With an exasperated sigh, Kris left the two only to have Tao return five minutes later with a strange banging noise coming from the prince’s bedroom.

“ _I think he needs some time to let his thoughts settle._ ” Tao had tried to answer Kris’s confused look.

“ _What is that banging?_ ” He pointed at the room’s direction with lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed.

Tao sighed and shook his head.

“ _Denial?_ ” Even Tao’s knowledge could not explain the prince’s actions.

*

The back of Baekhyun’s head was beginning to lose feeling from the constant banging on the bed frame. He looked at the door and wondered if it was locked. Probably. He couldn’t see anything but the sky through the windows from where he was seated on the floor. The room was probably pretty high up so jumping down would also not work.

Sure, Baekhyun was not stupid. He knew for some time the reason why his parents decided to send him away. With his active body and skillful tongue, he managed to get some of the cooking staff to spill the beans. But he couldn’t believe it at first.

A dragon?

Once his brothers were allowed to visit him, he had asked for their help and together they all found the proper texts that truly did document the tales of the Great Dragon that once saved their Kingdom and made a promise with their ancestors.

However, as he grew up, he thought that he would rather spend his childhood growing up and living with his family even if he was to be taken away later. He would give anything to spend the time until his coming of age with those he truly earned for and dearly missed.

This year Baekhyun had been ready. Ready to see what actions his parents would take to “protect” their child. Once the announcement of the marriage reached him, he gave up. What was the difference between being taken away by a dragon and marrying into another Kingdom?

Sure, the rumors and tales of dragon’s killings and chaos everywhere they went was well known to everyone, even to Baekhyun. But was getting married to a stranger, relocating to a completely different kingdom, leaving his family once again better than not living at all?

When he woke up in an unknown room with two unfamiliar men looking down at him, he was frightened. However, the memories before he lost consciousness came flooding his mind and he just lost it all.

At that instant Baekhyun’s mind was made. If he was going to die in the claws of the dragon, then he was not going to make it easy.   

*

“ _He’s going to die,_ ” Kris’s agitated voice growled as he tapped his foot while staring hard at the wooden door that separated him from the prince.

“ _I’ve checked his vitals and they are under great stress. We must make him eat, my Lord._ ” Tao’s features darkened as he grasped tighter onto the tray with the human’s supper. It had been three days since Baekhyun was brought to the castle and the man had refused to do anything with the dragon. Every time Kris walked into the room, the prince would glare daggers at him and not open his mouth until the dragon was out of his sight. Tao had managed to get the prince to say three things: “No,” “Don’t want to,” and “Leave me alone.”

The worst of all was that the man was not eating anything. With each visit, Kris’s mood would darken with anger and frustration at the prince’s stupid actions.

“ _Then shove it down his throat!_ ”

Kris snarled, turned around and walked away with a dark cloud looming over his form. Tao sighed again for the hundredth time that day and opened the door.

“Please, your Highness, please eat something. If there is something you don’t like, I will make the changes.”

Baekhyun’s hooded eyes looked at the dark man. He would have said something if only his mouth wasn’t so dry or had the will and the strength to do anything. He took shallow breaths, willing himself to at least tell the man to go away.

Tao heard a small thud as it was placing the plated food on the small dining table. The raven sharply turned around to see the prince’s upright body bent in an awkward way on his bed, motionless. After a closer check the alarms in Tao’s head were on full alert.

“ _My Lord!_ ”

*

Baekhyun felt a warmth surround his tired body. Every crevice and curve was gently embraced so comfortably that a smile broke over the man’s face. He wanted to sleep but the need for food was driving him mad.

A gentle touch to his dry lips had the man opening his mouth, inviting anything and everything. A smooth liquid rushed in and easily ran down his throat. With each swallow, the prince felt that much better.

After feeling enough strength return back to his body, Baekhyun opened his eyes up at a concerned looking man, the dragon, looking down at him. He remembered that he was on a hunger strike, but right then and there, he couldn’t care for such pity plans.

Baekhyun sighed once the dragon was done feeding him the soup that was surprisingly tasty, who knew dragons had taste for human food. As his eyes began closing again, content after finally eating something, a flash of memory lulled the prince to sleep.

A distant memory of a small garden, trees around a stone table with wooden benches, food steaming and ready, and a silhouette of a man disappeared as fast as it came. Baekhyun would have wanted to relive the memory over and over again, it brought a certain warmth and calmness to his body, but he was far too tired.  

*

A crash bounced off of the stone walls of the silent castle with a hateful ring. Baekhyun’s breath hitched as his eyes widened in horror. This was the fifth time. The fifth time the prince had accidentally broken something in the palace.

Ever since the dragon nursed him back to health, no matter how unwilling he tried to be, Baekhyun had been doing well to eat his food but stayed out of the beast’s way. Unfortunately for the prince, every little noise in the castle made him jumpy, frightened that the dragon was nearby, and with each little excessive jerk sent something or another flying straight to the stone floors.

In less than five seconds after Baekhyun’s panic inducing accident, a black smoke began collecting around the room until Tao’s form manifested. The dark gaze was directed straight down at the crime scene while Baekhyun’s slim fingers twiddled with the hem of his jacket.

“Are you alright?”

Baekhyun nodded his head.

“Where you headed somewhere?”

“The kitchen.” Baekhyun managed to answer over the knot forming in his throat.

During the past week, Baekhyun had discovered that there were only the three of them inside the castle. Tao had told him that he was free to roam and do anything within the palace walls. However, outside, where the enchanted forest lied, was beyond the prince’s ability to survive for no more than an hour.

The castle was large and Baekhyun discovered new rooms and halls with every turn. He, at one point, wondered if magic was involved for it to seem so never ending, not that he was going to ask the dragon.

“Come, I’ll accompany you.”

Baekhyun followed the man without a word. He was dying for some company but he never knew what to talk about with the man. However, he was determined today. Tao seemed nice enough.

“Tao, how old are you?” Baekhyun prayed that that was a safe topic.

“I have no age, but this form that you see right now has been in existence for about 400 years.” Tao smiled at Baekhyun’s amazed expression. “I’m a Time Rover, in case you were wondering.”

Baekhyun nodded his head in thought. He knew of Time Rovers, entities that embodied themselves around strong magical beings, dragons for an example. They were both real and not, just purely magic. They could take any form, usually of their master’s choosing, and acted as guides and teachers.

“Can,” Baekhyun stopped to clear his underused throat, “can I ask you something else?”

“Anything.”

“What’s the dragon’s name?”

Tao looked down at the man with a glint in his eyes.

“When I came upon my master for the first time, he was called Kris by those around him. But that is not his true name.”

The prince looked confused at the raven.

“I do not know my Lord’s real name. Only special few will ever know.”

Baekhyun didn’t really understand but it was good enough for him. Tao was talking and keeping him company so the prince had nothing to complain about.

“Is he not going to kill me?”

A full smile broke over Tao’s face and the amusement from the prince’s question made Baekhyun feel stupid, to put it nicely.

“The rumors about dragons must have reached new heights. I’m sorry to ruin the fantasy, however, my Lord has no plans of harming you.”

They finally reached the kitchen that was constantly stocked with all the foods Baekhyun loved eating. He quickly picked out the things he wanted as Tao watched on. A thought popped into the prince’s head and was out way before he gave it more time to process.

“So are you a man or a woman? Though you definitely look like a man.”

The silence was quickly filled with low chuckling that was definitely coming from the raven. Baekhyun opened his mouth to apologize for the rude and very invasive question but Tao stopped him.

“I mirrored my master’s human body when we first met. But, he said it was weird always looking at himself so I changed it up a bit. Since it was modeled after a male, you may think of me as so.”

“So that’s how it works.”

“Will you be eating in your room or have you found somewhere else more appropriate during your little trips?”

“Room is fine.” Baekhyun answered sheepishly. Tao bowed its head as the prince made his way out of the kitchen. Before the raven could be on its way, the prince gasped and turned around.

“I apologize for earlier! It was completely an accident.”

The Time Rover nodded in understanding and vanished before the man’s eyes. Baekhyun felt a cold chill run down his back but pushed it aside and made his way back to the safety of his room.

*

“ _My Lord, you must relax._ ”

Tao sighed as he watched Kris pace back and forth in his sleep chamber. The cave was massive in comparison to the two bodies but the dragon did not care as he marched on. In his true form, steam would be coming out of his nostrils, Tao could easily imagine it.

“ _I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!_ ”

Kris was, to say the least, frustrated. The many years he spent building the castle, he had always envisioned himself enjoying the company of the person who was supposed to fill the emptiness the dragon could not escape. With a set mind on Prince Baekhyun, and all of their past memories together, he truly thought that it would be like the old times. That it would be so easy to get along. Were children easier to manage than adults? Kris did not know.

First it was the hunger strike, the silent treatment, complete ignorance to Kris’s existence. But it soon changed to glaring, destroying things that Kris had collected throughout his long life, though Tao said it was by complete accident, and acting all friendly with the raven while still, utterly, ignoring the dragon. Kris was very mad. Maybe a little heartbroken.

“ _When I spoke to him last night he did mention that he missed physical affection; however, it was mumbled and probably not meant for me to hear._ ”

Kris stopped in his track and looked at Tao with an unreadable expression.

“ _Physical affection?_ ”

“ _Yes, my Lord._ ” Tao bowed its head. Kris sighed as his large hands ran through his pitch black hair.

“ _He would probably faint if I stepped any closer towards him._ ”

“ _Most likely._ ” Tao looked away when a glare was directed at him. After a moment, the dragon walked over to the balcony and instructed the raven.

“ _Watch over him, I’ll be back soon._ ”

*

A knock woke the prince from his slumber. He raised his head from the desk that he didn’t know he had fallen asleep on as his neck and back popped back from their unnatural placement. His hands came up to fix his hair as the door creaked open.

It was too quiet. Baekhyun knew exactly who was at the door. There was only one being in this castle that did not speak and unless a ghost now resided with them it had to be the dragon, Kris.

“Yes?”

Baekhyun asked tentatively as he turned around to face the beast. The dragon opened his mouth as to say something but quickly closed it to step back and raised his hand back towards the now dark hallway, Baekhyun belatedly noticed that it was night time and made everything that much harder to see. The prince was on alert but also slightly intrigued to see what the dragon was trying to do. He began wishing that the man could speak to him sometimes, it would make many things so much easier.

The dragon turned slightly to look back out into the hallway and made a small motion with his hand. Baekhyun could hear shuffling until he saw it. His eyes widened and body began moving faster than his mind could keep up.

“Sehunie!”

The white wolf leaped into the room and charged right towards his owner until his entire 120-pound body was draped over the man. Being mindful of his sharp teeth, the wolf lapped up the man’s face until it was glistening and thoroughly soaked.

Kris smiled gently at the scene in front of him as the prince’s giggles filled the room, accompanied by the huffing and yelping of the wolf.

“It’s so nice to see you! I’ve missed you so much!”

Baekhyun buried his face into the soft coat as he ran his fingers soothingly through it. Unfortunately for the two, their happy reunion was cut short when Tao emerged out of thin air. Kris, too emerged in the moment, completely unguarded, got shocked by the Time Rover and his fleeting thoughts became reality.

He had planned to surprise the boy but this was not part of his plan.

A loud screech replaced the laughter as Baekhyun’s horror stricken eyes looked up at the completely nude man on top of him. The man froze as his eyes roamed down his biceps until his hands that were very much human.

“ _My Lord?_ ”

“ _Well that’s a first._ ”

Kris replied as Sehun, now completely human, jumped off of the prince in panic. The man on the floor was in no better state, his frozen frame taking in all of Sehun, further shortcutting his brain.

“What is this?” Sehun’s voice, something Baekhyun had imagined before but was so strange in reality, asked in fright. The wolf’s now human hands flew up to cover his mouth. “I can talk!?”

 


	5. Chapter 5

*

“They are all very worried.” Sehun answered with his head on Baekhyun’s lap, the prince threading his slim fingers through his white hair. After the panic the night before, Tao placed a blanket over Sehun’s naked body and using some magic to calm the wolf, the raven had calmly explained to them about the unplanned surprise.

Supposedly, Kris had been meaning to turn the wolf into a human so that Baekhyun could have some company other than Tao and Kris. However, the magic within the dragon demonstrated its power by making his thoughts into a reality.

Luckily, Sehun was allowed the freedom to turn himself back to his original form, much to the wolf and prince’s relief. The only warning was that he had to be careful about clothing. Unlike Tao, who could change his form and everything on it, Sehun couldn’t do much about clothes. He had already ripped through two pairs of dress shirts and pants changing back to his original form.

Another thing Sehun still couldn’t do in his human body was staying upright, hence why he was laying on Baekhyun’s bed, head resting on the man’s lap.

“Prince Jongdae had it the worst, I would say,” Sehun continued, “saying that he wasn’t able to keep you safe. But I think they are no longer grieving.”

Baekhyun’s hand stopped.

“What makes you say that?”

Sehun turned his head to look up at his master. The prince’s face was washed over with worry and slight pain, maybe the wolf was wrong but he was really good at reading the man.

“Well, they stopped moping around and started attending to their duties, got really busy with things, you know? So I just assumed?”

It was wonderful to have Sehun with him and to actually talk to the animal that he trusted with his life. However, he was still a wolf, not fully versed in human interactions. His interpretations of what was happening back at his kingdom was not completely factual. But, Baekhyun would listen to any news with gratitude.

“I spent most of my time in your room, the female servants brought me food and the male servants took me out for walks. Your sisters would join me whenever they were allowed and it was fun but I really missed you, master.”

The clear eyes looking up into the prince’s pulled at the man’s heartstrings. He engulfed the now human’s head in his arms as he placed kisses all over the white locks.

“I’ve missed you too, thank you for coming here.”

Sehun quietly basked in the attention and love before speaking again.

“But Master Kris brought me here, shouldn’t you be thanking him?”

The prince pulled back with a sigh.

“You don’t understand.”

Sehun cocked an eyebrow with a judgmental look. Before all the magic, Baekhyun had always imagined this exact look whenever the wolf had looked at him whenever the prince said something even he knew was unreasonable.

“What do I not understand? Now that I’m a human, you should teach me these things,” the wolf monotonously stated while the prince only sighed again.

“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know what the dragon wants from me. For the longest time I was convinced that I would be killed or eaten once I was taken by him but now that nothing has happened I just don’t know what to do? Does that make sense?”

Sehun’s expressionless face was so much harder to look at in his human form. He shook his head.

“Master, you should try talking to him then. See what he wants from you.”

The prince rolled his eyes this time.

“He doesn’t speak.”

“Right.” Sehun’s eyes widen in memory. “Then how about just acknowledging him? Like, try to participate?”

With a groan, Baekhyun pushed the wolf off of his lap to get up and go relieve himself. He also needed to take a moment to process what the wolf had said. His stubborn mind did not want to admit that Sehun was right.

“I can’t believe I’m being lectured by my pet.”

“I’m a human now!” Sehun called out after him with the smirk so vibrantly clear in his tone that it made Baekhyun falter in his steps.

“I’m still mad that you’re taller than me!” The prince stomped out of the room and slammed the door with the wolf’s laughter hot on his track.

*

Baekhyun was beginning to question whether Sehun should be a human anymore. He was taking full advantage of his predicament. Even though he could take care of himself, as a human, he still used his wolf as an excuse to get the prince to do everything for him. He had to bathe, dress, walk, play and now feed his pet, both in human and wolf form, like a good master.

With annoyed steps, the man briskly made his way towards the kitchen with a list of things the wolf had asked for. He was a prince for a heaven’s sake. He had other people do this for him.

With his internal rant session, the prince stormed into the kitchen without any care to another person watching him in amusement. Only when he turned around to look for a tray did he notice of the man’s presence.

“My God!” Baekhyun clasped his chest in freight but quickly backed away, hitting the counters. “I apologize; I didn’t know you were here.”

Kris looked at the man for a second before lifting up a basket that he had been holding. The prince still seemed wary of the dragon but looked on as the dragon took few steps towards the island in the middle of the room and placed the basket down. He then swiftly began pulling out different items that made Baekhyun take a step forward.

He couldn’t believe the dragon had brought fruits that were only harvested during the winter seasons.

“Where did you find those?” Baekhyun cursed himself for speaking. Was he trying to get himself killed?

Fortunately, the dragon tilted his head to the side with a thoughtful look. Right, he couldn’t talk. Brilliant, Baekhyun. The prince flinched when the dragon raised his hand but then small lights began floating around the digits, entrancing the man. A thought came to Baekhyun’s mind.

“Magic?”

Kris nodded and a smile bloomed over his face. The gummy smile made the dragon look too innocent that it frightened the prince. The dragon placed a good portion of the fruits on a tray that was next to his station and pushed it towards the man. Baekhyun reached out to it with a thankful nod.

His conversation with Sehun flashed through his mind. Baekhyun had promised himself that he was going to try. He was not going to be unreasonably scared of the dragon. This was the time to prove to himself and Sehun that he could do what he had promised.

“Um,” good start, “Sehun wanted to eat dinner on an actual dining table and,” breathe, “and you’re welcome to join us? If you want to that is!” He quickly added the last part.

Kris’s eyes widened in both shock and disbelief. His frozen form must have frightened or given off the wrong message to the man, the prince was slowly backing away. The dragon smiled as gently as he could and nodded an approval. He would love to join them for dinner.

“Right,” Baekhyun flashed his own slightly forced smile, “we will meet you there, then.” He nodded his head with a resolve before speed walking out of the kitchen, through the halls, and right into this bedroom.

He took the first step.

*

Just as promised, Baekhyun found himself seated at a large dining table that he had always passed by on his little adventures through the castle with Sehun right next to him, so that he could watch and learn the proper dining etiquette, and the dragon, Kris, across from them. Tao had come and gone with plates of food until the table was festively covered.

From the sight of things, Baekhyun was probably the only one feeling on edge. The wolf’s eyes had been sparkling ever since he sat down, taking in all of the human food that he was not allowed to eat before, and the prince found it all too cute that he couldn’t keep his hands off of the man, not that Sehun minded extra petting.

Tao seemed to not mind acting like a servant but Baekhyun still didn’t know how to read the bird’s face. He always looked like he was ready to rip one’s soul right out of their body, not that Baekhyun would actually think of the Time Rover as someone evil enough to do that, even if he did serve the Great Dragon.

Kris, the Great Dragon himself, strangely also looked very content with himself as he began eating. The prince would feel the dragon’s eyes staring at him but he didn’t have enough courage to check whether that was true or just his paranoia acting up again.

None the less, once all three had eaten to their satisfaction, Sehun a little more than he probably should have, the poor man was moaning in pain with a giant smile on his face, Baekhyun concluded that it wasn’t that bad.

Even though the dragon didn’t speak and did nothing but stare at the prince and his pet, Baekhyun found his presence to be quite familiar and not at all intimidating.

As he laid in his bed looking up at the drapes of his canopy frame with Sehun’s weight comfortably over his legs, Baekhyun’s mind raced with memories of their dinner and the fact that he, Baekhyun would begrudgingly admit, spent all his time observing the dragon. Without knowing of his own actions, the prince had spent all dinner catching the subtle changes on the dragon’s face whenever Sehun made a scene or something peeked the dragon’s interest during their conversations.

Baekhyun smiled at the memory. Maybe the dragon wasn’t all that bad.

*

It was all strange. Baekhyun didn’t know how to react or how to feel about it all.

First, every morning when Sehun awoke the sleeping prince with a tongue bath, there would be a basket full of fruits and pastries on his nightstand. It was on the eighth day when Baekhyun woke up much earlier than his usual time to find Kris’s cloaked form entering his room to place the familiar basket right where the prince had come to expect to find it. The dragon took his time making sure to place the fruits in a way that looked appealing and with a content nod left the room. The prince could not help but to smile at the action that made the previously scary dragon so human-like.

Second, Baekhyun found himself wandering in the garden while taking his wolf out on a walk when he came upon the dragon practicing archery. Bow and arrow was one of the few things Baekhyun truly enjoyed during his time away from home and his legs quickly carried him to the range before he could stop himself. The dragon was looking back at him with an amused face and as the prince was ready to apologize for disrupting his practice, Kris handed him a bow and took a step sideways to make a room for Baekhyun. In silence, the two ended up practicing until Tao came to inform them of dinner preparations. The prince’s mood was significantly improved during dinner, be it from the exercise or the man sitting across from him, but it just felt right.

Third, never in his life did Baekhyun imagine flying but he got to experience it firsthand thanks to the Great Dragon. Granted, it was not planned and the prince was falling to his impending doom the night when Sehun had convinced him to visit the highest tower of the castle to watch the full moon. That night Baekhyun learned two things. One, the stones used to build the towers were extremely slippery; and two, through the scales of the dragon, the prince could feel warm heat resonating, making the complete ride down to the ground surprisingly comfortable. As his feet touched the damp ground, Baekhyun realized that Kris could change his dragon’s size at will and the beast standing in front of him was so much less intimidating and much more intriguing.

From the top of the tower, Sehun was shouting things that Baekhyun could not decipher but Kris was airborne in less than a second, soaring back up towards the dark sky, completely disappearing. The prince didn’t have time to register what was going on before Kris was quietly gliding down with an overly excited Sehun on his back. The wolf had insisted to be taken out flying more and Baekhyun reluctantly, he kept telling that to himself, agreed to be taken up again.

After a good month of random interaction with the dragon, Baekhyun no longer could lie to himself. He was no longer afraid of Kris. Far from it. He was beginning to find the dragon, the man, to be quite approachable and, he would never admit this out loud, cute. Kris had too many quirks that was growing on the prince and the human found himself gently smiling at the nothing and everything. It had gotten so bad that even Sehun would catch him and not shut up until the prince agreed to bathe or to play with the wolf.

*

“It’s not stopping.” Sehun whimpered into the blanket, trying to preserve as much heat as he could. After a minute of shuffling about on the bed, the wolf turned back to his true form and curled into himself, pushing his snout closer to his body.

Baekhyun sighed at the wolf before continuing his work. The fire needed tending and he didn’t have servants at his beck and call.

Another strong wind rammed into the windows making the crouching prince flinch and almost knock the pile of wood onto the floor. The snow had begun falling two days before and it seemed innocent enough that Baekhyun didn’t really prepare himself or his wolf for the storm that was brewing. The prince knew that storms around these parts got really bad really quick but it was significantly worst in the enchanted forest. That was one of the many reasons normal humans were never able to survive long in these woods. However, experiencing the infamous storms first hand was not something Baekhyun ever wanted in his life.

To make things worse, Kris had gone out to deal with an issue on the northern borders and won’t be back for another five days. Tao had popped in and out to check in on Baekhyun and Sehun and was the one who had graciously brought in stacks upon stacks of lumber. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything more the raven could do to make the storm any less frightening or cold.

After concluding that the fire would hold out for another hour, Baekhyun dived into the blankets and made himself comfortable next to Sehun. The wolf’s body heat was much higher than the human’s and the prince appreciated the small amount of warmth. However, he knew too well that once the fire died out the two would be very close to freezing to death.

He had to keep the fire burning.

*

The warmth was too welcoming. The way it had wrapped around his body, thawing his cold fingers and toes, even the air was easier to inhale. It was too nice compared to how the prince was feeling moments ago, trying desperately to cling onto Sehun’s fleeting warmth while convincing himself that he had to get up and feed the fire.

With a startled flinch, Baekhyun opened his eyes to a dark room. The fire was definitely out. However, the warmth was still very present and even better than before. As his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness he saw the black scales, darker than the night, curled around his body. Just like every other time he had interacted with Kris’s dragon form, the body was always warm, so unlike the reptilian image, and gentle to the touch.

Baekhyun raised his head to peek about the bed to find that Sehun was also glued right down Kris’s back with his wolf head resting over the the dragon’s shoulder blade. His own form was leaving no room between the bodies and for a second Baekhyun felt too intimate with Kris.

With the prince’s shuffling, the dragon gently raised his head to look down at the human and Baekhyun stopped to look right back. The moment was brief but it was enough for the prince to think about everything.

He was fine. He would have felt content being in the dragon’s arms even if the room wasn’t below zero. He never felt threatened after he stopped assuming that the dragon was going to kill him. In fact, he felt secure. And the eyes looking into his own held nothing but gentleness and want for the human to feel comfort.

Baekhyun felt the comfort. He smiled up at Kris and with a soundless whisper thanked the dragon. Kris laid his head back down and snuggled it closer to the man’s body. The prince didn’t need to be told anything to understand. He went right back to his comfortable position and closed his eyes. He could definitely get used to this.

*

“You have a question for me, your highness?” Tao looked back at the prince who had been staring intently at the raven’s back. Tao had come into Baekhyun’s bedroom to deliver breakfast but the prince had been waiting for the raven patiently for another reason.

“Yes.” He waited until the raven turned around fully. “Do dragons normally not speak?”

It had been on his mind ever since he had met Kris. He knew that Tao and Kris were able to communicate but he had never seen the dragon open his mouth for anything but for eating.

Tao looked thoughtful for a second before answering.

“My master is not complete.”

Baekhyun furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Dragons are born without speech. The only way they can ever learn to speak is when they find their soulmates, the Dragon’s Light. It’s very rare because the Lights are usually humans and they do not have longevity like the dragon’s do. More times than not, the human is no longer a part of this world by the time the dragon visits where the human used to live. It very unfortunate.”

The prince’s face paled at the realization. Dragons live hundreds upon hundreds of years alone and mute just because they couldn’t find their soulmates in time. The constricting feeling in the prince’s chest did not sit well with him.

“Kris,” Baekhyun quietly asked, “is his Dragon’s Light...?” He didn’t know how to continue the question.

Tao was silent for a while but it seemed to understand what the prince was concerned over.

“My master will never know if his Light is even born yet, is alive, or,” the raven took a deep breath, “is no longer part of this world. All he can do is just wait and hope.”

“Is there no magic that could help him?”

Tao shook its head.

“There is no magic strong enough to do that. It’s truly a mystery.”

Baekhyun understood it then. Kris was lonely, even more than him. He was aimlessly searching for his soulmate that could be anywhere at any time with a possibility of never being found. It hurt the prince to even think about it and he truly understood. He would do his best. He would stay by the dragon’s side until he finds his soulmate. He would not let Kris be alone again.     

*

“Is he okay?” Baekhyun asked the raven who was busy coming in and out of Kris’s room without using the doors. The prince hated it how the raven could literally teleport at will and not give him a chance to sneak a look into the room.

“Do not worry yourself, your Highness.” Tao responded with a gentle smile before disappearing from the prince’s sight.

With a frustrated sigh, Baekhyun stared down at the wooden door that was so easy to push and open but he held himself back. He was told to let Kris rest and that was what he intended to do, no matter how curious and concerned he was about the dragon.

Both Sehun and the prince were startled when the massive dragon returned to the castle after only a day's trip to plummet right onto the front garden. Tao’s black smoke had enveloped the being and they were gone as soon as Baekhyun was out onto his balcony to get a better view. What remained for the prince’s eyes were blotches of red on the meticulously tended lawns. Sehun’s nose scrunched at the smell that was too faint for the prince to pick up but he knew what it was. Blood.

With hurried steps, Baekhyun made his way towards the dragon’s chambers, on the other side of the palace, Sehun hot on his trail. Unfortunately, Tao had stopped the two from further actions and instructed them both to give space for the master.

After pacing back and forth in front of the dragon’s room for who knows how long, Sehun had long decided to retire to their chamber, Baekhyun marched back to his own room with a defeated slouch. Sehun raised his head in attention, ready for any news from his master about the dragon. Baekhyun shook his head and heard the wolf quietly whimper. He would like to whimper too but he needed to trust Tao when the raven said there wasn’t anything to worry.

It was strange how quickly they both got accustomed to the dragon’s presence. After the blizzard that hit the kingdom, it became quite customary to have the dragon curled around the human and the wolf. It didn’t matter if there was snow, rain, or sunshine, somehow sleeping with all of their forms entangled became comfortable and just right.

Baekhyun fondly smiled to himself with the thought of being scared and angry at the dragon only a month ago; however, all of those emotions were far gone. Because of his preexisting prejudice, even when the dragon did nothing to hurt him, he automatically thought of the worst and honestly believed that Kris would kill him. However, he was happy to have his eyes cleared and now he was worried for other reasons. Was Kris hurt badly? What had happened for the Great Dragon to be injured? Will he be okay?

“Master,” Sehun called out to the prince, after turning into his human form to comfort the man with words, “I’m sure Tao will do well to take care of his master. You must rest too.”

The prince looked back at his bed where Sehun was under the blankets, arms outstretched, inviting the man over. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Baekhyun dove into the embrace and tried to sleep, to take his mind off of the dragon. Sehun shifted next to him and was quickly asleep, leaving the prince wide awake and all alone with his thoughts.

*

The halls felt much longer when the prince was trying to sneak around, undetected by anyone, even the raven. The darkness was doing nothing to help the man but he was too familiar with the castle that it didn’t bother Baekhyun too much. Soon, he found himself staring at the doors to Kris’s chambers. He could hear faint heavy breathing and growls, all sounding painful and forced. Baekhyun took a breath and pushed the doors open.

It was the first time the prince had entered the dragon’s room. He didn’t know what to expect but it was not a literal cave. He had to turn around to check the hallways to make sure that he was still in the castle and looked about the door frame wondering if it was some sort of transportation portal. The magic of the castle never ceased to amaze him.

Without any windows it was too hard to see into the cave but Baekhyun knew Kris wasn’t too far away. He could feel his presence and the constant gentle heat that the prince had gotten used to in the past couple of weeks from sleeping surrounded by it.

With a resolute mind, Baekhyun took a step further into the room and to his amazement the cave lit up. It looked like the prince had stepped out to a field with the perfect view of the night sky. The cave was illuminated to match the constellations with pretty blue lights that the prince could not look away from. Baekhyun could not believe how massive the cave was and how beautiful it all looked.

“Master once visited a cave in the land down south,” Tao’s voice broke the prince’s trance with a startle that caused the man to jump up with an unattractive yelp, “and fell in love with it. He used his magic to recreate it.”

Baekhyun could only nod, heartbeat thumping through his ears.

“It’s beautiful, like you’re sleeping under the stars.” He managed to say and saw Tao nod. “Are you mad that I came here even after you told me to let Kris rest?”

The raven looked down at the man with an unreadable face but shook his head.

“You are your own man, what I said was a mere suggestion, you may do as you please.” The raven extended his arm towards the direction that the prince had not looked at, too entranced with the beauty of the cave, and quickly found the dragon curled up.

Baekhyun tentatively walked up to the dragon and watched for a moment as the beast growled at his discomfort before releasing a deep breath. His muscles twitched with no pattern and Kris shifted each time to make himself as comfortable as possible.

“He stumbled upon a cursed land and the curse was transferred onto him. He was able to break from it but his body took a beating, he will have to stay in discomfort for a while until his body fully replenishes the magic.”

The prince nodded in acknowledgment. It was nice to know what had happened.

“So even the Great Dragon falls under curses.” Baekhyun commented offhandedly, not expecting a response from Tao. However, Tao was dutiful.

“Actually, being too powerful can be more troublesome than it’s worth, sometimes. Magic is strange in that it attracts and calls for those that also have it. Like opposite sides of a magnet they attract without any discrimination, be it dark magic or not, they will bind and refuse to let go. The curse that was attracted to master was very strong, having a higher affinity to my master than it did to the land it was bound to.”

Baekhyun had much to learn about magic especially since the dragon that was now part of his life. He bent down to take a better look at Kris’s body and he could not spot any places that could have bled. That only meant that the damage was no longer physical and more mental, something Baekhyun could not see or help with.

“Would you mind if I stayed with him for the night and just watched over him?”

Tao’s eyebrows raised in surprise before the raven shook its head.

“You may do as you please, your Highness.”

“Thank you.”

In an eye blink, Tao was gone, leaving the prince alone with the dragon. Kris moved again and he looked so stained that it made Baekhyun reach out and help the beast. It was comical that the dragon’s head was as big as the prince’s torso but the man was doing his best. Baekhyun would be there to catch him if the dragon was to lose his strength.

Baekhyun stayed for another hour watching the restless dragon and thought of things that he could do to make him feel better. Running out of ideas, there was only one thing left that the prince thought might help. Whenever he was sick or feeling sluggish, his wet nurse would always sing to him.

Taking few breaths to calm himself, the prince’s mouth opened to release the first note. It was a lullaby. A lullaby that painted the night sky, how everyone in the forest went to sleep, and how they were all loved, taken care of, and safe. It was Baekhyun’s favorite and always made the man dream of his family and the love that he missed.

Baekhyun glanced down at the dragon and was surprised to see his golden eyes open and looking back at the prince. They held each other's gaze for a moment before Kris lifted his head, his movements much smoother than before, and circled it around Baekhyun’s seated form. The prince never once stopped singing but he did lower himself down so that he was leaning more on the dragon’s neck while his hand was gently placed on Kris’s crown.

It didn’t take long. The gentle tune slowly settled between the two until they both fell into a blissful sleep in one another’s embrace.

 


	6. Chapter 6

*

“Your Highness.” Kyungsoo dropped down to his knees once he saw who had entered into his humble living quarters. Prince Jongdae was standing tall, his eyes roaming about the small room which housed too many books for the space but it was all very like the wizard he grew up with.

“Kyungsoo, enough with formalities, I’ve come urgently.”

The wizard rose and directed the prince towards a small seating area that wasn’t covered in books.

“What urgent matter does the prince bring?”

“It’s more of tragedy that anything, have you not heard of any news from the kingdom?” Prince Jongdae looked hopeful at the man across from him. Unfortunately, after leaving the palace, Kyungsoo had confined himself within the four walls of his study and not left for any reason, had no reasons to leave.

“I’m afraid you are the only person I’ve interacted with in almost two months.”

Jongdae nodded but sighed with frustration.

“I’m afraid it’s my dear brother, Prince Baekhyun.”

At the mention of the younger prince, Kyungsoo raised his hand to stop the prince from speaking.

“My apologies; but I’ve made myself very clear about this matter. If you are here to discuss about the Great Dragon, then I must refuse you...”

“Kyungsoo!” The prince raised his voice, abruptly stopping the wizard’s speech, making the man jump back in surprise and in slight fright. He never had the prince’s wrath directed at himself before and it was all too strange.

Taken aback by his own outburst, Jongdae cleared his voice and tried again. He knew. His mother, the Queen, had already warned him that the wizard would be reluctant to even hear about the dragon. However, she also said that there was a way to get the man on their side. It was underhanded and broke the knightly code but Jongdae was desperate. He wanted, no, needed to return his brother back to where he belonged.

Jongdae had allowed his brother be sent away from their family once, he was also about to let the prince be given away in marriage all because of a dragon; however, said dragon, in the end, still got Baekhyun and Jongdae could not accept that.

After much thought, Jongdae volunteered to bring the only wizard that could potentially help rescue Baekhyun even if the method called for him to lie and maybe break Kyungsoo’s trust in him.

“Kyungsoo,” he started again with a gentle tone, “you must know that Baekhyun was to be wed a month ago. I also understand that you have much respect for dragons and will not act rashly or unjustly. But the honorable dragon that you always defend is not as honorable as we thought he was.”

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow in question, Jongdae had the wizard's attention.

“He took Baekhyun from us, from his husband.”

The wizard did not respond but only looked on at the prince.

“He took a married man, where is the honor in that?”

Jongdae finally saw the wizard’s brows furrow and eyes darken in thought.

Dragons were strong and ruthless and could easily terrorize a kingdom, bringing their downfall within a day, however, Kyungsoo always knew that they had their reasons for such horror. More times than not, the kingdom would bring the destruction upon themselves. It was against a dragon’s nature to do anything without a proper cause. Additionally, nature also forced them to follow certain human laws so that there would be no unnecessary conflicts. One law that all dragons willingly followed was that they would not touch a man or a woman that was already rightfully someone else’s. Even the younger dragons understood that and it was very uncharacteristic for a Great Dragon to break that rule. It did not make sense to the wizard.

“How could that be?”

Jongdae swallowed the guilt that had been slowly rising since the day he agreed to do this.

“Kyungsoo, you must help us take our brother back. All of the wizards back at the palace have agreed to follow your lead and assist you. They said that the dragon was young and could be controlled with your magic.”

The wizard looked conflicted. It felt like they sat there in silence for an eternity before Kyungsoo spoke up.

“If I do help you, you must promise me something.”

“Of course, anything.” A smile was already spreading over the prince’s face.

“I will follow you on your journey and I will assess the situation once I meet the Great Dragon. If,” he pointed his finger to emphasize his point, “if for any reason I wish to withdraw my services, you will let me.”

Jongdae did not expect that. Had he not convinced the wizard that the dragon was a foe.

“I will allow that.” The prince agreed after a moment of silence. They all needed the wizard to come along. The journey was long, almost a month's time if they were lucky going through the enchanted forest with Kyungsoo’s assistance. The journey gave them enough time to convince the wizard. He had to save Baekhyun.          

*

“Sehun, please eat some vegetables.” Baekhyun sighed with annoyance as he watched the human form of his wolf scoop away everything other than meat onto a side plate and push the offending pile away from himself. Sehun looked back with a steady expression while he placed another serving of steaming steak in front of himself.

“Master, I’ve lived this far without eating any vegetables, I’m sure I will survive without them.”

The prince rolled his eyes.

“Well, you are now a human. Also, you won’t lose anything by eating some.”

Sehun vigorously shook his head.

“I don’t like the taste, it’s so bland and...” A shiver ran down the wolf’s back, making him jerk in strange ways.

Kris smiled at the interaction between his two dinner companions and looked down at his own plate packed with mainly meat and only a half of a potato and two small cuts of carrots. He wondered if Baekhyun would get mad at him for his lack of interest in vegetables and looked up at the man with expectant eyes.

The prince seemed more concerned over the well-being of the wolf, not once sparing a glance at the dragon’s plate.

“If you don’t eat at least this much,” Baekhyun placed a spoonful right over the meat pile on Sehun’s dish, “then you don’t get any birthday dessert.”

The wolf’s eyes widened in shock and his lips began quivering. Baekhyun could only imagine Sehun whimpering pitifully if he were in his true form but the pouty lips were enough for now. He smiled back at the wolf and continued his dinner.

It was his eighteenth birthday and Sehun had insisted for them to have a feast in celebration. Tao had easily agreed to Sehun’s pleas and they were all seated in one of the many small magical gardens the castle had to mainly appease the wolf’s need. Baekhyun was not looking forward to Sehun’s own birthday if the wolf had acted this way for someone else’s. Of course, desserts had to be included especially since the wolf had developed a sweet tooth in the past month he had been a human. Needless to say, the birthday cake was the main event even more than the actual birthday. Not that Baekhyun minded.    

Kris looked down to continue his own dinner when a cold sensation ran down his back.

“ _Tao._ ”

“ _I’ve sensed it too, my lord._ ”

The dragon closed his eyes so that he could fully visual what Tao was looking at as the raven soared up into the orange sky. The tops of the enchanted forest came in clear view, the image soaring over the treetops in crisp color to pinpoint anything that was moving or out of place. Soon, the trees ended to a clearing, like the one Kris had built his castle, to show a substantial amount of armed soldiers, some marching while others on horseback, making their way towards their general direction.

Kris stood up and Tao came back to his side in no time, ready for the master’s orders. Baekhyun looked up at the two with confusion that soon turn into concern once he took a better look at the dragon’s face.

“What wrong?” The question was directed towards Kris but Baekhyun was already accustomed to hearing Tao’s voice in return.

“My prince, you and Sehun must remain here. Master and I will return quickly, please do not worry.”

Kris nodded and took large steps to make his haste exit only to come to a complete stop, peering down at a frowning prince. Baekhyun had ran after the dragon and was determined to come along.

“I wish to come along.”

“Prince Baekhyun,” Tao spoke up, “it’s dangerous.”

“Then at least tell me where you’re going.” Baekhyun looked sternly at the raven, breaking his eye contact with the dragon who was silently watching the prince with a fond look. He could not believe how open the prince was with him now that he even challenged the Great Dragon and was no longer afraid to stop the beast with a single look.

Tao looked at Kris for a moment and Baekhyun knew that they were having their internal dialogue until the raven faced him once again.

“An army of men are making their way through the enchanted forest and soon will be here.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in disbelief. What human would willingly enter the forest let alone a whole army of them? They must have multiple powerful wizards to guide them and they must have something very important to do if they were willing to cross the forest.

A thought ran through the prince’s mind that made the man take a step back. He looked up at the dragon once again.

“By any chance, is it one of my brothers?”

Something flashed over the dragon’s eyes.

“My prince, both of your brothers have come.”

Baekhyun’s breath hitched and he pointedly looked at Tao who had its eyes down casted. Sehun’s soft whimpers broke the tension. The prince had to take a moment to organize his thoughts before addressing the two again.

“You will take me with you.”

“ _My lord?_ ”

Kris didn’t know if taking Baekhyun to see his brothers, who were probably coming to get him in the first place, would be a good idea. However, he knew that he would never be able to harm people that Baekhyun loved. Having the prince come with him might do them good or it might completely turn everything into bloodbath.

Thin fingers gripped onto the dragon’s sleeve, bringing Kris out of his thoughts. He saw something in the prince’s gentle eyes that made him nod in approval. He wouldn’t dare to say he saw love, but the trust he felt from the man was enough to convince him that bringing him along would not end in blood. Baekhyun would be there to ground him and Kris hoped that the man would not leave him.

The prince did not release his hold on the dragon’s sleeve as the taller of two began leading the way. He could hear Sehun in the background shifting back into a wolf and his soft paddling caught up to the pair. Once they were away from the garden, a field with bigger room, Kris grabbed Baekhyun’s hand and with a knowing look the prince took a step back.

It was beautiful. Watching the Great Dragon shift to his true form had quickly became the best part of living with the beast. Baekhyun always took the moment to appreciate the grace and fluidity of every part of Kris’s body that turned from a pale flesh to metallic black, darker than the night sky, shining with each shift and turn until the majestic form was looking back down at the human who had nothing but wonder and awe in his eyes.

The dragon bent his head down until it was placed right in front of the prince. Baekhyun smiled at the gesture before reaching up to grab onto the black scales to lift himself onto the back of the dragon’s neck. Softly, he made his way towards the back where he was secure between the massive wings that completely hid his body.

After having flown on the dragon for multiple of times, Baekhyun finally knew the perfect spot, an area with a large enough gap between two of the dragon’s back spikes, and held on tightly.

The large wings spread out upwards and came down with enough force to lift the beast right up off of the ground. Baekhyun looked down and saw a black smoke envelop the white wolf and disappearing without a trace.

Another strong gush of wind made the prince brace himself as Kris picked up speed. The flight would be short, dragon’s covered impressive distances with their flight, but Baekhyun learned that he had to enjoy the moment as it came. He felt so alive.

*

“We are almost there.” Kyungsoo informed the princes that were getting more and more anxious with each passing day since the beginning of their long journey. Ever since the morning when the wizard informed them that the dragon’s lair was less than a day's march, the princes had become even more fidgety and unreasonably rushed.

No one could blame them. A month’s journey would put any man in rush to complete and return to his home. It was worse for the princes because they had others to worry about. Their company was no small party, with ten wizards and over hundred foot and horsemen. Traveling through the enchanted forest made their predicament even more dire and Kyungsoo felt pity whenever he glanced at either Joonmyun or Jongdae.

The large clearing was a much needed change from the dense forest and the wizard wondered if they could take a moment of rest. Not that he dared to voice out his thoughts with how determined everyone looked to finally reach their destination.

Kyungsoo reached back to his satchel behind his saddle to find his water vial when he sensed it. It felt like a simple chill in the air but he had to make sure. None of the other wizards looked alarmed. Closing his eyes, he focused on the small pulses, heartbeats, and magic traces around him until he found it.

A dragon.

He opened his eyes and could see the vision of the great beast barging down on their company with so much power that his mouth opened before he could even come back out of his trance.

“Dragon!”

With the mere mentioning of the word, panic spread through the men, horses pulled here and there, breaking formation.

“Hold your position!” Joonmyun shouted over his men and galloped further out to organize the group. Jongdae rushed back to where Kyungsoo had stopped with concerned look.

“Do you sense it? Is it close?”

“Prince Jongdae, the Great Dragon will be here soon. I apologize for not realizing it sooner.” Jongdae shook his head and brought his horse around so it stood right next to Kyungsoo’s. He reached out to place a solid hand on the man’s back.

“Better late than never. Come, we need you all in the front.”

All of the wizards in the company nodded before following their prince.

“We need a barrier against the dragon’s fire.” Joonmyun addressed the wizards when they reached the prince after his successful control over his men. “The rest of us will surround the beast and attack at once. Kyungsoo, I want you with me and Jongdae. We must go for the fatal blows.”

The wizard looked at the prince with wide eyes, not expecting to actually kill the dragon.

A loud roar shook the trees and the horses began bucking and rearing. The shouts from the men were overpowered by a strong gush of wind and birds that were fleeing out of trees, away from the impending destruction.

“Brace yourselves!” Joonmyun’s voice was the only legible thing heard before the massive dragon plummeted from the sky, seemingly out of nowhere, the setting sun putting the dragon’s scales on fire, blinding the soldiers. The strong wings beat only once for a monstrous whirlwind to knock all those on horses down to cower in fear.

Kyungsoo slowly rose, waving away all the dust and dirt from his sight, to see the Great Dragon, in his magnificent form, imposing, noble, and strong, looking down at all.

His breath hitched and he could not believe what he was seeing. All of the wizard had told him that the dragon was only a young hatchling, big in size but weak in magic. They all said that he could not be older than a century or two. Kyungsoo was beginning to believe that the Great Dragon was just as brute and as destructive as the stories and rumors had been saying.

This dragon was nothing like the rumors. He was the true Great Dragon, one of the few original noble breeds. The King of Dragons.

His knees buckled up but he willed himself to walk, to stand in front of the dragon for a better look while he begged.

 “My lord.” Kyungsoo fell forward, bowing his head with respect.

“You may rise, wizard. My master wishes to see your face.”

The man looked up to see another dressed in all black looking back with a piercing gaze. He must be a Time Rover. Kyungsoo stood up.

“Kyungsoo, what are...”

“Prince Jongdae.” Kyungsoo stopped the prince’s speech, not bothering to look back at the man. “I said that I will withdraw my services if I wanted to, for whatever reason. Well, this is me withdrawing.”

“What nonsense do you speak of?” Joonmyun spoke up this time, Jongdae too stunned to reply. “Did you not, just now, experience the danger this dragon could cause? Will you really walk away from getting our brother, your prince, back from that beast? Will you not, God forbid, avenge Prince Baekhyun?”

Kyungsoo sharply turned around to face the eldest prince.

“I’ve had a hard time believe that a dragon could’ve done what you had told me but now that I see him with my own two eyes, every cell in my body, my blood, senses the magic, the noble blood this dragon has and I cannot believe your lies.”

Joonmyun’s eyes widened with anger burning deep, his arm coming up to strike at the defiance.

“Enough!”

Everyone stopped. Joonmyun looked passed the wizard, towards the dragon, where he heard the oh so familiar voice. Jongdae took a step forward, almost as if he’s called by the voice, mouth opening and closing until a small whisper escaped it.

“Baek?”

The Great Dragon lowered his wings and turned his head to look down at a figure on his back, standing tall. The body easily maneuvered over the dragon’s back and neck before it landed safely on the grass field.

It was Baekhyun.

“Baekhyun!” Jongdae bolted forward and saw his younger brother also pick up his pace until their bodies collided into each other’s embrace. “Oh, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun buried his face into his brother’s neck, minding the metal armor that dug into his neck. Soon after, he felt another body embrace him from the back, warmth coming over his nape with small whispers of his name.

“I’m alright, I’m fine.” Baekhyun chuckled when the breathing over his nape made him ticklish, breaking away from the hug long enough to look better at his two brothers.

Joonmyun took his face in his gloved hands and worried eyes roamed over his features, moving down to his body, hands patting him down to check that he was indeed in one piece, safe and healthy.

“I don’t understand.”

“The dragon...”

The words were left unfinished as the said dragon was no longer a dragon but in his human form, standing at an arm's length away from the brothers. Baekhyun looked back to see Kris when he realized that his brothers were looking passed him with frightened eyes. The younger of the three shook his head and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Yes, believe me. I thought the same. It’s really sad to say this now, but I was also very frightened from the dragon and thought he would make me his meal on the first night he took me.” He took hold of his brothers hands in his own to get their attention back to himself. “But please, believe me, believe your little brother, when I say that there is nothing to be scared of. I’m living well here.”

There was still uncertainty, disbelief, and fright in their eyes and looking around, the soldiers and wizards that were still on the ground had the same look.

“But,” Jongdae spoke, “we came to bring you home.”

The prince could see a hopeful glint in his second brother’s eyes that the words hit him somewhere deep, it did not feel too good. His brothers wanted him to come home, where he had always wanted to return to. He had always waited for this moment where they would come for him like they are doing now.

His chest tightened up but his eyes automatically turned away to look at Kris. The dragon’s eyes were downcast, expression darkened and features too tight for Baekhyun’s liking. The two months he spent with the dragon was long enough time for him to understand the beast without him speaking, the dragon was very expressive and it was too endearing. However, the hurt look on Kris’s face did not look right, it did not belong there.

“Baek...” Joonmyun reached out but his brother was already walking, away, towards the dragon. Once the man was right in front of the dragon, he looked up to see the face that was looking down, away from him. His hand went up to push Kris’s bangs away from his eyebrows, showing that they were frowning, eyes unfocused.

“Hey.” Baekhyun said for only the two of them to hear and cupped the dragon’s face. “Look at me.”

Kris was quick to comply, like it was a spell and he had no power to deny the prince.

The prince’s thumb slowly rubbed over Kris’s cheekbone, a small, sad smile tugging at his lips. Baekhyun could see it. It was reflection of his own. The loneliness in the dragon’s eyes was all too familiar to the man and he knew exactly what he had to do.

Baekhyun dropped his hand and turned around to face his brother.

“Thank you.” He smiled brightly at the two. “It means the world that you have come back for me. This is what I’ve always wanted, I’ve always waited for someone to say that they wanted me to come back home. That villa our parents had locked me away in was no home, no matter how much I tried to wish it to be.” He sighed. “And I’m afraid that the palace is also, actually, never has been my home.” He looked back at Kris who had raised his head with wide eyes looking down at him. “I’ve finally found my home. Please, don’t take me away from it again.”

Baekhyun felt rough fingers slip in between his and he gripped tightly onto them like his life depended on them. It made him feel calmer and more resolute in his choices.

Neither Joonmyun nor Jongdae spoke up, just stared back and forth between the two in front of them. The conflicting emotions were too much and Baekhyun understood their dilemma. He was willing to wait for however long for them to sort through their thoughts, but he trusted them. They were his brothers, they were the proud princes of their kingdom, they were smart and rational. Baekhyun trusted them.

“Father and mother will not be okay with this.” Joonmyun said with furrowed brows.

“You know that we love you,” Jongdae weakly smiled at his younger brother, “and it hurts us to know that you will not be coming back with us. But, because we love you and know that no one else understands you but you, we will let you live by your choices.”

“However,” Joonmyun intercepted, “our doors will always be open, for anything, and we will do our best to appease our parents for the time being.”

The last part was directed towards the dragon who steadily looked back that the eldest prince.

“Thank you.” Baekhyun made the small trip back to his brothers to give them another hug to show his gratitude. It was gentle and they all stood in silence for no less than a second before a massive fluff of white pounced onto their pile.

Jongdae let out a yelp as he was the bottom of the pile of bodies with Sehun lapping up Joonmyun’s face with too much enthusiasm.

“Wait, wait!” Joonmyun called out, pushing the wolf’s snout away from his face. “Didn’t we leave you back in the palace?”

The tension was now long broken, with Jongdae crying out in pain, Sehun was very heavy. Once they all got back on their feet, Jongdae almost cried for real when Sehun charged at him. Baekhyun, taking pity towards his brother, held the wolf back with his arms around the animal’s neck.

“I,” Jongdae took a moment to catch his breath, “I missed you too, Sehun, honestly.”

At the admission, the wolf barked in glee, yanking himself free form his master’s grip to jump on the man. Unforeseen to many around, except to Baekhyun and Kris, the wolf was no longer a wolf but a man, much taller than Jongdae, and very naked, hugging and licking his face.

Baekhyun could not contain his laughter at the sight of an overly energized naked man giving a tongue bath to his petrified brother. Joonmyun looked on with shock that soon replaced with amusement.

“That is definitely new.” He looked back at his brother that was bent over laughing with Kris trying to keep him from dropping down to the cold ground and a smile broke over Joonmyun’s own face. “I suppose you really found your home, haven’t you?”

 


	7. Chapter 7

*

Baekhyun never felt cold when he was next to Kris. The dragon always emitted a warm heat that gently embraced the man’s form. The wind was picking up, but the prince could not feel a thing as the two of them took a stroll through their garden.

After showing his brothers and their men that Kris was nothing but caring, noble dragon and someone who created a home for him, they agreed that it was the best for Baekhyun to stay with the dragon. All of the men looked content with the conclusion but the journey back home made them all ache in both body and soul.

Kris, through Tao, had offered to help in their journey back home. Using a little magic and Kyungsoo’s help, because the wizard wanted to, Tao’s black smoke encapsulated them and within an eye blink, Kris, Baekhyun and Sehun were the only ones left in the clearing.

Kris brought the two back and Sehun was quick to return to his forgotten desserts, mainly the five tier cake that Tao had brought for Baekhyun. The prince had suggested that he and Kris take a walk to which the dragon agreed with a bright smile.

It was nice, a weight lifted off of the man’s chest and he couldn’t be more content. The sun had set while they were discussing travel arrangements with his brothers and flying back on the dragon’s back with the entire galaxy that much closer to his reach felt like a dream. Looking up, Baekhyun could still feel the rush and peace he felt being on Kris’s back. He glanced at the dragon and saw him looking at the prince with an equally calm eyes filled with something that Baekhyun wasn’t too sure of.

“Did you know that it’s technically not my birthday?”

A raise in Kris’s eyebrow answered Baekhyun’s question. Baekhyun hummed and nodded his head with enthusiasm.

“My wet nurse told me that I was born exactly at midnight, so technically my birthday is tomorrow, which is in couple of hours. But my parents wanted to keep the date to today because my great-great-great grandfather was born on this day.” He shrugged not really understanding but excepting his parents’ logic. Kris bumped shoulders and when the prince looked at the man he pointed towards a small bench facing a small pond. They made their way towards it and it was all just perfect.

*

Kris opened his eyes when he felt a small droplet on his cheek. He looked up and saw that the clouds had accumulated while the two had fallen asleep on the bench. Baekhyun’s head was comfortably leaning on Kris’s shoulder and the man looked too peaceful for the dragon to stir him awake.

He didn’t know how long they were asleep, but he didn’t sense Tao’s presence which meant that it couldn't have been more than few hours. The raven should be returning sometime in the middle of the night, maybe early morning.

The raindrops got heavier and Kris felt Baekhyun stirring next to him. Thinking quickly, his black wings unfolded out of his back, ripping through his clothes but he didn’t mind. He maneuvered them about so they were covering their bodies in a perfect protective seal.

“It’s beautiful.” Baekhyun’s voice came out, startling the dragon. He looked down to see a smiling face, eyes filled with love looking at the inside of his wings. At a right angle and light, the scales of his wings reflected and looked like small stars. Kris was happy that Baekhyun found his dragon form to be beautiful because he found the human to be the most beautiful being he had ever seen.

With each passing day, Kris could feel his heart swell with so much love and want that it frightened him sometimes. He knew that Tao could feel his emotions and the knowing looks the raven sent him did nothing but to confirm them.

When Prince Jongdae had asked Baekhyun to return home, something broke in Kris. He wanted nothing but happiness for the man that he only spent two months, insignificant time in dragon’s life, but enough. He wondered if Baekhyun had asked to return to his family, would he have been able to let the man go? The thoughts were familiar, he had questioned himself for a while, however, having seen the brothers still care for one another helped the dragon make up his mind. He would do anything for Baekhyun. If the man had wanted, he would let him go, even if it broke him completely.

The surprise and relief he felt when the prince chose him was unimaginable. He could not force his emotions onto the other but having the man verbally confirm that he too wanted to stay, be it out of pity or any other reason, mattered greatly to the dragon. He had the man in his arms now.

His fire spread through his body and it was too hard to contain, all he could do was look at the beauty that was Prince Baekhyun.

After making sure that no water was seeping through his wings, Kris turned to look at the man and his eyes had done a double take, before they widened in shock.

Baekhyun was glowing.

Really glowing.

Illumination.

Baekhyun was beaming like a light. A Dragon’s Light.

“What?” The prince pouted. “You don’t think it's beautiful?” He pointed at the wings above his head.

From the lack of response, Baekhyun looked up at Kris and his eyes roamed over his face. The dragon’s eyes were the widest he had ever seen them and his complexion was condemningly white.

“Are you okay?” Concern laced through his voice as he brought his hand up to run his fingers over Kris’s forehead. Kris blinked couple times before shaking his head. His eyes were still unsteady but they never left Baekhyun’s face.

Kris reached out to gently grab onto the prince’s hand. He slowly raised it to his lips until the back of Baekhyun’s hand was firmly pressed up against those lips that the prince had been staring at. A small blush dusted over the man’s cheeks.

“Is this my birthday gift?” He shyly asked and felt Kris’s lips curl into a smile. The dragon interlaced their fingers and sat back comfortably. The prince quickly followed, leaning his head back on the dragon’s shoulder where it had been before, looking back up at the underside of the black starry wings.

There was only one thing he wanted to say before a comfortable silence fell upon them.

“Thank you.”

*

It had been three months. Three months since Prince Joonmyun and Prince Jongdae returned to their kingdom. Three months since Baekhyun’s birthday. Three months since Kris saw the light around the man. Three months since the dragon officially began his courting.

The interactions between the prince and the dragon had increased substantially. They spent majority of their waking hours doing activities that kept them both active and busy while sleep found them curled around one another, blissfully content.

Falling into a routine was too easy.

When Tao woke them up in the mornings, Kris would give Baekhyun some privacy to wash up and take care of Sehun while he went and freshened himself up. Breakfasts were served in the dining hall filled with stories of dreams and plans for the day. Baekhyun always found things he wanted to do and would drag Kris along with until lunch time where, if weather permitted it, would be served in one of the gardens.

The time after lunch was spent on the prince trying to teach his wolf how to read and write but it always ended with Baekhyun reading Kris and Sehun a fairytale from the extensive collection Kris had been storing.

Dinner was always a feast. Baekhyun enjoyed it immensely; however, the activity that followed their supper was his favorite. Kris would gently lead the man out to the garden and the two would walk around under the night sky or sit somewhere comfortable while Baekhyun shared stories from his childhood.

Even though Kris never spoke back, Baekhyun never felt awkward or forced to talk to fill the silence. It was all very natural and Baekhyun couldn’t push away the feeling of having known Kris for all his life. He had asked the dragon if he felt the same way and Kris only smiled, eyes forming crescents while taking the prince’s hand into his own.

The night would end with them silently retreating back into the dragon’s chambers, magical cave in Baekhyun’s opinion, where Kris placed a bed so that Baekhyun could sleep in more comfort with Sehun already waiting for the two.

It was exactly what Baekhyun had been missing in his life. However, Kris had other plans.

“Are we really doing this?” Baekhyun looked at the gate for the second time that year that was heavily guarded but had many villagers going and out on their daily routine. He felt Kris’s hold tightened and he looked down at their interlocked hands with a smile. If Kris was sure about this, then so was Baekhyun. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, towards his birth home.

*

“The trade route is better through the southern passage, no one’s willing to attack the caravan because I’m sure you’re aware of what lies on that side.” Joonmyun spoke with a booming voice addressing the court with Jongdae nodding by his side, agreeing with his brother’s logic. The King and the Queen were seated on the throne overlooking the court proceedings.

The prince was ready to further prove his point when the doors to the court room opened with a royal guard kneeling in respect.

“Your Highnesses, Prince Baekhyun and the Great Dragon are requesting for your audience.”

Loud gasps echoed through the room with the Queen standing up, her body ready to run and greet her son. Joonmyun and Jongdae both looked surprised and turned back at their father for his answer. The old man steadily nodded and waved his hand.

“Send them in.”

Jongdae reached out to grasp Joonmyun’s forearm. Joonmyun sensed his brother’s concern and firmly nodded his head to signal that they had to be strong for Baekhyun.

The doors opened once again and two bodies walk in, all eyes bouncing between them. Baekhyun walked a step ahead of the dragon, both tall and authoritative. As they walked by, the court officials hesitantly bowed, never once looking away from the two.

Once they reach the throne, Baekhyun kneeled down in front of his parents.

“My father King and mother Queen, I, your son Baekhyun, show you my respect.”

“Rise, child.” The queen stepped down the stairs of the throne to reach her son. With a gentle smile she grasped his cheeks and looked over the man’s face, just like how Joonmyun had done when they met in the forest.

“Mother, I am well.”

“Do you no know how worried we’ve all been. How disappointed we were in your brothers for not bringing you back home?” The king’s monotonous voice broke Baekhyun’s heart and he glanced at his brothers who looked crestfallen. It must have been embarrassing to come back from a long journey empty handed, even more so for princes of a great kingdom. Baekhyun wished to apologize to his brothers.

“I see that you have brought your abductor with you.”

Baekhyun looked at his mother with nothing but shock as her eyes were piercing into Kris’s face. The dragon stayed emotionless, seemingly unaffected by the harsh words. However, Baekhyun knew better. The dragon was hurt.

“Mother.” His voice came out as harsh as hers did. “Do not speak of Kris that way, he means a lot to me and your words hurt me as much as they hurt him.”

The surprise in his mother’s eyes was not unexpected. However, the black smoke that began collecting between him and Kris was unexpected. Tao was left behind to look after their castle and Sehun.

“Your Highnesses,” the raven spoke with a respectful tilt in his head, “my master, the Great Dragon, has come to ask for your permission to take Prince Baekhyun as his wedded husband.”

The words were also completely unexpected. The widened eyes everyone in the room had was a perfect reflection of what Baekhyun was feeling. He had no idea that Kris had wanted to ask his parents’ permission to marry him. He hadn’t even asked Baekhyun yet.

“What?” The King stood up with anger washing over his features. Kris moved too, so that he was directly facing the King, looking up at the man with fierce, challenging eyes.

“My master says that Prince Baekhyun has become a part of his life that he can no longer live without. He is ready to dedicate his entire existence to serve and love your son, your prince, and following the human customs, he wishes to receive blessings from the parents.”

“Kris...” Baekhyun turned to face the dragon who was proclaiming his love to him. It was all surreal. Tao also turned to face the prince and a gentle smile spear over his stern features.

“Of course, only if Prince Baekhyun is willing to take my master and agree to this arrangement. He wishes you to do exactly as your heart demands. He will never pressure you because he respects nothing more than he respects you.”

Kris’s heated stare was now solely directed at the prince. Baekhyun’s face had never felt as hot as it currently was and the mass of emotion stuck in his throat was not helping with his breathing. He felt so close to fainting.

When the King and the Queen didn’t reply to the dragon but only stared in disbelief, Kris raised his hand. The ground began to shake, not enough to knock anyone or anything over but everyone felt it. Then, one by one, crates emerged down the hall by which the two had walked up to the throne. The room was once again filled with gasps, Baekhyun’s included, as the crates contained nothing but precious jewels, golds, and antiques that could easily challenge the kingdom’s wealth.

“These treasures,” Tao spoke again, “are my master’s gift to the Royal Family, because he is asking for the hand of their precious prince that is worth more than hundreds of these crates combined. This is the only thing my master can give for taking away the precious gift you brought into this world.”

“Kris,” Baekhyun walked over to the dragon, taking his hands in his own, “you don’t have to do this. I don’t care for these formalities, because I do want to stay with you. You only had to ask me.”

Kris shook his head and ran his fingers through the man’s hair, massaging into his nape and pulling him into his chest. His other hand came up to circle around the man’s shoulders. Baekhyun’s own arms were fast to encircle the dragon’s waist, pulling him even closer.

“I accept, Kris, that’s all that matters.” Baekhyun muttered into Kris’s chest and felt the vibrations as the dragon chuckled at the man in his arms and tightened his hold. This was where Baekhyun belonged.

*

Truthfully, Baekhyun did not remember how they were able to convince his parents to let Kris marry him. However, he remembered being swarmed by his siblings, his sisters crying because they had missed him and because they were happy for his engagement. His memory was hazy around dinner time, mind only filled with answers for everyone’s questions who hadn’t seen him for the past five months and Kris’s stare that never left him.

He sat down on his bed with a deep sigh. He was tired. Who knew getting engaged was such a busy thing especially since the one who proposed used his inability to speak to direct all the attention towards the human.

Though the man was happy with the recent events there was one small thought that made the prince halt and pull away from his fantasies. Tao had said to the entire court and the Royal family that Kris would, “love your son,” but he recalled Tao saying that dragon’s had a single soulmate that they might or might not ever meet. So was the dragon capable of loving anyone who wasn’t their soulmate? What would happen if the soulmate came to them after they got married? Then another thought hit him.

Kris was a dragon. He lived for centuries while Baekhyun, a human, would perish in half of a century. A shiver ran down his spine.

As if sensing the internal turmoil of his future husband, Kris entered the room to find Baekhyun's face scrunched up in discomfort and something akin to hurt. The dragon quickly walked over to the brooding man to take him into his embrace, to comfort him in any way possible.

Baekhyun hugged Kris right back, burying his head into the dragon’s neck, taking slow and deep breaths.

Baekhyun was being selfish. Kris was noble and honest. He would treat the prince the way he would treat a god and the fact that he was doubting the dragon made the man feel annoyed at himself. He shouldn’t be so concerned over trivial things and just enjoy the reality that he was going to live with Kris. He knew his own feelings and that was all that he needed.

The prince pulled back to look at the dragon. During their comfort session, Baekhyun had ended up straddling the dragon, his arms around Kris’s neck, fingers lazily playing with his hair, while the dragon’s arms were wound around tightly over the man’s hip and back.

Baekhyun smiled down at the dragon who returned the silly grin that Baekhyun was learning to adore. They held their gaze until Baekhyun’s fell down to look at the lips that once had kissed his hand. That was not enough. He closed the distance between them, finally feeling those familiar lips on his own. Like the rest of Kris, they were as warm and as inviting, urging the prince to deepen it, to open up and just let go.

Large hands palmed up and down the man’s back, one traveling low enough to cup Baekhyun’s butt cheek, eliciting a moan from the man. Kris pushed his tongue into the other’s mouth who happily accepted, mapping each other’s mouths, every crevice.

Baekhyun pulled back to catch his breath. The hooded eyes looking back at him were carnal, raw and the prince wanted nothing but to dive right in, drown in them until every part of him was touched by the desire.

“I love you.” The words came out because they’ve been ready, just waiting for the right moment. Baekhyun never felt so liberated, so vulnerable but it was alright. Kris wouldn’t hurt him.

The dragon’s eyes widened with each passing second, the words fully registering into his brain, his heart, his soul. Baekhyun felt it get hotter than before, slightly taken back by the sudden glow around the dragon’s face. Was he seeing things?

The man opened his mouth to say something, worried that Kris might be running a fever, if that was even possible with dragons. However, all words left his mind when the silence was replaced by a completely new voice. The man saw Kris’s mouth move; however, he could not believe his ears.

“Baek... Baekhyun?”

Was Kris speaking?                     

 


	8. Chapter 8

*

Having the human so close to him, in his arms, straddling his body, mouth hungrily forcing itself into his own was more than anything the dragon could wish for. It was one thing to succumb to one’s carnal needs but having done so with the person who was destined to be your soulmate was amazing.

The small moans from Baekhyun was already driving the dragon insane, building the need inside the beast. He had little control over his body, hands roaming over Baekhyun like they were already accustomed to the touch.

Unfortunately, the prince pulled back and Kris took a moment to reprimand himself for the lack of control over his own appendages. He looked up to see the man staring back at him with so much need and love. No, it couldn’t be. Kris was not ready to lie to his own mind, heart. He promised himself that he will not imagine and push for the impossible, he was already lucky to have any affection from the human.

“I love you.”

How could a man be so beautiful that with every second Kris’s eyes roamed over the prince’s features, they got that much more ethereal and perfect. Even the words uttered through those lips were loving and exactly what Kris had been waiting for. With a realization, the dragon’s head absorbed the spoken words.

It happened all too fast, like everything that day. With only three words from the human, something deep inside the dragon broke loose. It was painful but liberating. The heat slowly raised up through the dragon’s chest, down every vein in his body, boiling.

Without having to ponder about it, Kris knew he had to do it, to test it and prove it to himself that it was all happening.

“Baek... Baekhyun?”

The way the man’s eyes widen in complete shock was proof enough for the dragon. He opened his mouth once again to show Baekhyun that yes, he was indeed speaking.

“Baekhyun, my love.”

“You...” The prince’s hands came up to cover his opened mouth. His eyes were jumping back and forth between Kris’s eyes and mouth, mind still catching up. “You spoke?”

“Yes, finally.” Kris smiled widely, in his own disbelief but already getting used to the idea of speaking and hearing his own voice outside of his own head. He grasped Baekhyun's arms by the wrists to pull them away from his mouth so that he could reach up and kiss the man again. He needed to kiss the man again.

Baekhyun melted into the kiss for only a second before pulling back, eyes still wide open.

“How are you speaking? What is happening?”

Baekhyun reached out to grab a hold of Kris’ jaw, thumbs hovering over the dragon’s lips. Kris smiled and placed his own hands over the man’s.

“Do you not remember what Tao had said to you? Dragon’s don’t speak from birth until they find their destined one, their Dragon’s Light. Ever since your birthday I’ve been able to see the light that you omitted, no matter where you were, I could always feel the glow. You saying those three words have officially broken the seal. I,” Kris pulled the hands away from his face, bringing the palms to his lips to plant deep kisses on each of them, “I thank you, for loving me back.”

Baekhyun only stared on. Kris was really speaking; it was not a dream he was having after falling asleep from being so tired. This was real.

“I’m your Light?”

A small whisper made Kris look up at glossy eyes that were too much for the beast’s heart. He quickly pulled the man closer, Baekhyun easily falling into the pull, and placed gentle, love filled kisses all over the man’s face, making sure to stay little longer over his eyes and mouth.

“My Light,” Kris whispered back after each peck.

The human chuckled at the childishness of the Great Dragon but could not stop his heart from swelling with love and need. He grabbed onto the dragon’s face once again to steady it so he could give a real kiss.

Kris was quick to reciprocate the gesture, deepening the kiss while nibbling on the man’s bottom lip. Baekhyun’s hands dropped down to the dragon’s white shirt, undoing the strings, and pushing the collar past the broad shoulders as the dragon breached the man’s mouth, tongue desperately roaming over the human’s.

With an amused chuckle, Kris helped the man by pulling his hands through his sleeves, completely getting rid of the clothing. The slim hands were back on the dragon, roaming over every muscle, stopping by the dragon’s chest to tease after getting a vocal approval.

Kris moaned into their kiss, bringing his hands up to remove the human’s shirt. He didn’t bother with ties or anything, simply ripping the material with too much ease. A gasp broke their kiss and Baekhyun looked down at his shirt in two pieces, one piece in each of the dragon’s hands.

“I’m impatient,” was all the dragon said before leaning forward, larger body overpowering the human, pushing the man until his bare back hit the clean white sheets. Baekhyun would have groaned at the sudden impact but the dragon’s mouth was sucking every little sound out of his own, like the beast had been deprived of it, maybe he was.

The large hands palmed over the man’s nipples, fingers taking their time to roll and pinch, each moan from the man swallowed by the dragon’s mouth. It was all overwhelming, every part of Baekhyun’s body felt like it was set on fire, tortured with pleasure until he was left begging for more. The hot hands were roaming with no restraint until they went down, stopping right before reaching the man’s trousers.

“Please.” The word was moaned out, Baekhyun already too heated up, there was no time to hesitate. Like a spell, the hands tugged at the cloth, Baekhyun raising his hips to help the dragon. Kris pulled away from their kisses to look down at the human that was bare, ready for him to claim, to take, to love.

He could see some hesitation in the man’s eyes but it was more out of embarrassment than anything, having those strong piercing eyes stare down at his naked body was little overwhelming. However, the prince did nothing to cover himself, he was ready to show it all, he trusted Kris.

“Beautiful,” was all the dragon said before diving in.

Baekhyun’s breath hitched at the sudden contact, the heat from the Kris’s mouth was so much hotter around his member than when it was kissing the man. His fingers threaded through Kris’s locks, trying to grasp onto his sanity that the prince was losing more with each passing second.    

The obscene sounds from Kris’s actions were matched by the ones made by the prince. Baekhyun’s body was reaching pleasures never felt before and he was close, the pressure in his lower abdomen building, pushing out all the air in his lungs.

Baekhyun gasped when Kris made his way down his length, leaving small kisses along the way till he reached the final destination, the area he intended to connect himself with his love. He needed to do everything in his power to make the process as smooth as possible for the both of them.

“Kris,” the prince could only let out small gasped words, the sensation too strange but not unwelcome, “Kris.”

The dragon pulled back for a moment and raised his head enough to see the man. Baekhyun was flushed, with parted lips and glossy eyes that looked intently back at him. A small smile broke over Kris’s features as he spoke.

“My real name is Yifan.”

Realization set in and Baekhyun happily nodded his head. If his mind was more focused on other things than pleasure and the man in front of him, he would have probably remembered the conversation with Tao when the raven had told him the significance of the dragon’s name. However, being in the current state, the man was just simply happy to know more about Yifan.

“Yifan.”

The dragon’s eyes shined with pride and love because of a single word from a man that meant the world to him. Without further delays, he went right back to his work, taking his time and enjoying every sound coming from the beautiful man beneath him.

“Yi...fan,” the prince gently pulled at the dragon’s locks, “I’m close.”

Yifan raised his head in attention and swiftly, in fluid motion, found himself facing the man again. He leaned in to whisper a quick “I love you” before moving his arm towards the puckered hole, sensitive to each small touch and brush of his fingers.  

Baekhyun never felt more complete in his entire life as he did lying beneath Yifan, held between strong arms that had so much warmth and love for him.

“Baekhyun, this might hurt, let me know, okay?” Yifan’s finger pushed its way through the small resistance from the human, his thumb tracing the sensitive spots around the entrance that made the man’s breath hitch. Yifan did a thorough job at opening Baekhyun up slowly, one finger at a time whenever the human’s whimpers were replaced with small moans of pleasure.

After a scrutinizing while, Baekhyun felt completely comfortable with the dragon’s fingers, pleasure already replacing the pain.

“Yifan, come.” Baekhyun raised his hands to grab onto Yifan’s neck to pull the dragon down towards him into a heated kiss. They broke for a moment for the man to continue. “I’m ready.”

The dragon looked into Baekhyun eyes, looking for any hesitation, pain, uncertainty. He found none, only love that the man held for him.

Yifan nodded then swooped down for another long kiss. It worked as a distraction, the dragon’s length breaching into the man as slowly as the dragon could manage. A small pained noises escaped the man but Baekhyun held onto the dragon, eagerly kissing back as if to say that he was fine and there was nothing for Yifan to worry.

Baekhyun felt so full, so stretched open, a dull ache thumping along with his heartbeat.

“Are you okay?” Yifan ran his fingers through the man’s damp hair, massaging his temples, doing everything to comfort his love.

Baekhyun nodded his head and concentrated on breathing, silently enjoying the attention from the dragon.

“I’m fine now, you can move.” The human finally looked up at the eyes that were intensely studying the man.

Yifan shook his head with a chuckle.

“Why the rush?” Another chuckle when Baekhyun looked away with a small pout. “We have an eternity together.”

*

The fire was dying out, casting a gentle glow around the fireplace, barely reaching the two bodies curled up beneath the sheets. Yifan ran his hand up and down the smaller man’s back while the two basked in the afterglow of their love, silently enjoying their tired bodies pressed together.

Neither wanted to move an inch in fear that whatever magic that had fallen upon them would be broken, everything was just too perfect. Unfortunately for them, the prince’s mind was quickly filled with questions and wonders that he couldn’t keep to himself for too long. With a defeated sigh the man tilted his head up, cheek brushing over the warm chest of the dragon, as he made his thoughts known.

“Yifan, what do you mean by eternity?”

The dragon looked down at the curious eyes filled with hope. A smile broke over his features.

“It means, my prince, that I will have my lifetime to shower you in my love.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen at the knowledge.

“A dragon’s lifetime is a hundred of mine.”

“I will make sure to keep you company through it all.” A smile was a constant on the dragon’s face ever since meeting the human. It was more than anything Yifan could ask for.          

Baekhyun returned the smile, eyes creasing with glee.

“You sure you won’t get tired of me? I could be a lot to handle?”

Flash of memories rushed through the dragon’s mind that he wished he could share with Baekhyun like he did with the raven. Oh the things he could show the human, the fond images of the prince in his childhood, innocent and lively. Looking down at the bright eyes that stared back with questions were no different than the ones in his memories and Yifan was reminded that the man he fell in love with, his destined one, was always special to him from the very beginning.

“Even in my death I will never tire of you.” Yifan leaned down, though it strained his neck, to leave a lingering kiss on those inviting lips. “Without me knowing, you already had my heart since your childhood.”

Abruptly, much to the dragon’s groans and complaints, the prince sat up, pulling away from the warm body beneath him. Yifan tried to pull the man back down but Baekhyun was stubborn.

“Childhood? Is the Great Dragon keeping more secrets?”

After more urging from the dragon, Baekhyun finally fell back into his embrace, Yifan going back to petting the man’s back.

“As I said, we have an eternity together. There will be plenty of time for talking.” Yifan’s arms came around the prince’s back to fully cuddle the man. “Allow me to just enjoy this moment, your Highness.”

Baekhyun melted into the dragon’s torso, breathing in the earthy scent, a fleeting memory of a garden in the depths of his mind becoming more clear. A figure of a man surrounded by the greenery filled the man’s chest with warmth, similar to one he always felt whenever he was near Yifan. A smile tugged at the edges of his lips.

“I love you, Yifan.”

“And I you, Baekhyun.”     

*

After Baekhyun began his married life with the dragon almost a year ago, many interesting things had happened to make the prince immune to strange and unexplainable things. It also helped that Tao would always be there to calmly explain anything to the human better than the dragon himself. Including the dilemma, the prince was experiencing for the past two weeks.

At first nothing seemed out of character. Baekhyun never really cared for his dietary consumptions, eating whenever Sehun got hungry or Yifan brought new treats and definitely when the three of them sat together for their family meals. The human probably wouldn’t have noticed anything if it wasn’t for Sehun. The wolf, with a bottomless stomach, had whined during one of their snack breaks, saying he was too full and couldn’t keep up with the prince.

Baekhyun thought it was a joke until he actively paid attention to his hunger strikes. He was becoming worse than the wolf. He couldn’t even sleep because of hunger and had to drowsily munch on anything he could get his hands on to get back to sleep.

Yifan was slightly concerned, wondering if a hungry goblin possessed the prince. Sehun found it amusing, Baekhyun was just hungry. However, on the second week, things turned for the worst. Sehun nudged Yifan awake with a small whimper. The dragon, confused, looked around to find his love deep in slumber. Usually, Baekhyun had the tendency to wake up before any of them and would wake the dragon and take the wolf on his morning runs. However, that day, Baekhyun did not awaken until Yifan had to physically pull the man from within his sheets.

The prince was weak and needed Yifan and Sehun’s assistance to make his way around the palace. He also couldn’t keep his food down. Unlike the previous week, every time Baekhyun ate, he became quickly nauseas and found himself bent over a bucket, breaking the dragon’s heart with each pained retching until the poor human got too tired to even stay upright. Yifan was losing his composure.

“What is the meaning of this?” Yifan paced back and forth at the foot of Baekhyun’s bed with _The Book of Ills_ within his large hands in hopes to figure out what the human had or didn’t have as Tao replaced a wet cloth on the human’s forehead. Sehun, in his wolf form, snuggling right up to the man’s shivering body, occasionally raising his head to check the man’s face for any discomfort.

“Apologies, my lord, but I don’t sense anything, no diseases, wounds, magic. Nothing. These symptoms could be anything, even a slight cold but even that is undetectable.” Frustration was evident in the raven’s tone and face, what were they missing? Suddenly, as if Tao had uncovered a deep memory that was long forgotten, the raven thought of something. “My lord,” Yifan had stopped pacing and was just staring hopelessly at Baekhyun, “have you by any chance see anything inside the prince?”

The dragon’s eyebrows set in thought as he looked back and forth between the raven and the human. Did he see something? Inside?

“Maybe try using your dragon form?” Tao gently suggested.

Yifan hadn’t been in his true form for the past month. He didn’t really have a reason to change since he stayed at the castle and just kept company for his husband. It was like trying on new clothes when he morphed, strange but surprisingly fitting. He made sure that he was a relatively small size to fit in the room and comfortably move about.

“Anything?” Tao asked again with a hopeful look.

The dragon concentrated, moving closer, while Tao and Sehun stepped away from the two, carefully observing from the side. Yifan’s eyes slowly scanned from the top of the man’s head, lingering on the face with a fond expression, until they finally landed on Baekhyun’s abdomen.

“ _This is new._ ”

“ _What is it, my lord?_ ”

Yifan tilted his head in confusion.

“ _I don’t know._ ”

“Yi...fan.” Baekhyun’s strained voice broke the silence, everyone perking up to attention, as the man weakly raised his hand. Yifan all too quickly changed back to his human form to clasp the man’s hand, so small within his own, and leaned over the man with a smile.

“I’m here.”

The prince’s eyes fluttered open, only slightly, to look at the face on his love. He returned the smile to his best ability.

“I... I just missed you.”

Yifan’s smile widened, bending down to place a kiss on the man’s cheek. He gently raised the covers to crawl right beside Baekhyun, tucking the man’s smaller body flush against his own, arms encircling with all his affection.

Baekhyun hummed in approval, leaning his head against the dragon’s broad chest. Having Yifan right next to him was already making him feel calmer. The bed dipped as Sehun climbed on, sniffing around Baekhyun, doing the same to Yifan, before he plopped down next to Baekhyun, his head resting over the man’s midsection. Yifan scratched behind the wolf’s ears much to Sehun’s delight.

“Tao, you have an idea, don’t you?”

The raven’s head bowed in approval.

“I thought of something, but I must confirm it before making any assumptions.”

Yifan was quiet for a moment, listening to Baekhyun and Sehun breathe.

“I saw something. Inside Baekhyun.” He spoke quietly, looking intently at the man’s face before looking down at the Sehun, or rather where the wolf’s head was. “I couldn’t tell what it was, there was no life, no magic, just a dot. But it was shining.”

Tao’s eyes widened.

“My lord.”

The dragon looked back the raven with a knowing look.

“Is it what I think it is?”

A smile broke over Tao’s stoic face.

“Yes, my lord.”                   

*

“Am I going to have to lay an egg?”

Sehun choked on a piece of ham he was busy eating. He hadn’t been paying attention to anything other than his breakfast but the prince’s loud voice finally brought the wolf back to the conversation. He looked at his master, still in bed and still looking weak, but his voice was nothing like his appearance. Sehun supposed it was the news Master Yifan had just delivered.

Yifan couldn’t hide his smile. As soon as he told Baekhyun the cause of his recent events, he could see the man’s mind racing. It was amusing to see the emotions change from confusion to surprise to happiness to concern, it was all too endearing. However, of course, of all the things that could have been running through the prince’s mind, all the questions, that had to be the first one he voiced out.

Tao stepped back into the room with fresh towels.

“Yes, your highness. There will be an egg and it will grow inside of you, but because my lord is a being of magic and a dragon, I believe the egg will also grow outside of your body until it’s ready to hatch.”

Baekhyun’s eyes were filled with even more questions. Subconsciously, his fingers that were on his belly began gently tapping. Yifan looked on with so much joy that his own body was moving towards the man, until he had Baekhyun in his embrace.

“Thank you.” Was all Yifan said before showering the prince with kisses. Baekhyun laughed at the attention, his mind no longer racing with questions. Sure, the news was not what he had expected and he was feeling too many emotions that made him confused than anything but one thing was clear. Yifan looked and sounded so happy, so proud, it was almost radiating off of his body and Baekhyun was not immune to it.

“What are you thanking me for?”

Yifan shook his head, the dazzling smile never leaving.

“For making me this happy.”

The prince grabbed onto the dragon’s shirt to pull him closer, their lips only breaths apart.

“I love you.”

Yifan’s answer was finally connecting their lips, kissing the man with all the love he could give. He was just too happy.

*

“Yifan! Stop staring at Jongin’s back like he’s going to sprout wings all of a sudden!”

To say that the dragon was a doting parent was an understatement. Baekhyun knew that being a dragon, Yifan had a great deal of possessiveness running through his veins that was usually directed towards him; however, now that they had a little one running around, Baekhyun could only shake his head in defeat.

Egg bearing had been the strangest thing Baekhyun had ever experienced in his life. His mother and sisters were surprisingly happy with the baby news but they were way over their heads with the egg part. Baekhyun appreciated their support through the process and they all learned a great deal. It made the prince beyond happy to see his mother, someone who did not have great views of dragons, working together with Yifan to make Baekhyun as comfortable as possible during the birth.

It took another month for the egg to hatch. The wait was killing everyone who had been staying at the castle. Tao told them that the egg would hatch when it was ready and it was ready in a month's time when both Yifan and Baekhyun were sleeping with the egg securely nestled between them.

It came as a surprise to all, even Tao, when there was a human child instead of a wyrmling. Everyone, especially the women, were all over the baby boy. Well, everyone besides Yifan. The dragon had told the prince that it was nothing when he was confronted. However, Baekhyun could easily look through the dragon’s lies.

“You can tell me.” Baekhyun sat the dragon down after putting their child to sleep. They were finally alone and it was about time the prince found out what was bothering the dragon.

Yifan sighed in defeat and grasped Baekhyun’s hands in his own.

“Please do not misunderstand. I will proudly state that I love our little Jongin, he’s perfect. His eyes remind me of yours and I just fall deeper in love with them with every passing day. But...”

Baekhyun placed his hand over the dragon’s cheek, slowly running his thumb over it with affection. Yifan sighed again.

“I just don’t know how to react to his magic.” He paused to make a strange face looking at the crib at the foot of their bed that held their little baby. “Or lack of magic.”

“What do you mean? Are you concerned that he’s not a dragon?” The words hurt Baekhyun to know that Yifan could feel disappointed that their child wasn’t a dragon.

Yifan shook his head.

“I’m concerned for his safety. I’m sure you remember Tao telling you that magical things were attracted to those that also had magic.” Baekhyun nodded. “Well, our Jongin, I’m not even sure why, but my magic and Tao’s, even the small amount on Sehun, are really enticed by him.”

“And?” Baekhyun urged on. Was their baby in danger?

“And I can’t feel any magic from him. Even Tao confirmed it. There is no magic in Kai but all magic around him is drawn to him. I’m worried for his safety.”

The prince finally saw Yifan’s concerns. He stood up and walked towards the sleeping child in the crib. The boy looked so peaceful and so fragile that it made the man’s chest tighten with the thought of him being in a harm’s way.

“Is it possible that his magic will come as he grows up?”

Yifan came to stand behind his husband, encircling him in his arms, and placed a kiss on the man’s temple.

“I hope so, but I’ve never heard of a dragon being born in a human form before, maybe he will grow up to be a wizard.”

Ever since their conversation, Yifan had unofficially placed himself as their child’s magic shield, which meant that he was literally stalking their child, watching over everything the little boy did. It was endearing to watch in the beginning but after three years, Baekhyun was beginning to wonder if Yifan would be this overbearing for the rest of Jongin’s life. The fact that the boy could speak further proved to everyone that he just might not be a dragon after all.

“I can’t help it.” Yifan came to sit beside Baekhyun who was contently watching his baby boy run around their garden with Sehun. “It’s instinctual now.”

Baekhyun leaned over to give the dragon a sympathetic but understanding kiss. The dragon was completely enamored by their child. Maybe it was especially bad that day because Yifan had just returned from a week long journey and Baekhyun could understand how worried the dragon could have been not being next to his family. Which reminded him of something he was dying to tell the dragon.              

“Oh, before I forget, he burned the drapes coughing up his second fireball this week. Could you ask Tao to replace them? The butlers managed to take the cloth down before it burned the whole room.” Baekhyun sighed at the memory. It had been very hectic, no one had been ready for the sudden development.

Yifan nodded dutifully, eyes still intently following Jongin. Baekhyun’s smile widened as he saw the realization sink into the dragon before Yifan’s wide eyes were looking right into his own.

“What?”

“Jongin, come here baby!” Baekhyun called out to get the boy’s attention. The child happily tottled towards his parents with the most content smile on his face.

“Daddy, look!” Jongin gave Baekhyun a stone that was the same color as Sehun’s white fur. “Sehun found it!”

“That’s beautiful, why don’t you show it to papa too?”

Jongin nodded at the suggestion and quickly hopped over to Yifan, whose eyes were still wide in pure shock. Baekhyun didn’t understand how the dragon couldn’t see the magic that was finally making its appearance.

“Papa!” Jongin reached up for the man to lift him, which Yifan did in a heartbeat. The dragon was trying to figure out why he wasn’t feeling the magic until he felt only his own all over the child. Maybe that was why. He quickly retrieved all of the protection spells he had placed around the boy and it was finally there. Yifan felt overjoyed once he felt his own son’s steady, gentle magic pulse that brought tears to his eyes.

Baekhyun’s thin fingers pulled the dragon’s face up to face him and he planted a long deep kiss that had Jongin squealing between their bodies. Sehun grabbed a hold of the boy’s shirt collar that made Jongin giggle and tried to save the child from his parents suffocating love. The prince pulled away with a strained breathing, lips glistening, eyes filled with adoration. He looked down at Jongin and his lips pulled into a smirk.

“Your turn.” Baekhyun leaned towards Jongin and the boy squealed even louder.

“Sehun! Help me!”

The wolf did just that by completely pulling the child off of Yifan’s lap and Jongin bolted with a loud giggle, screaming for Sehun to follow him. Baekhyun was quick to chase with kissing noises that made their child laugh even harder.

Yifan sat there, watching his family play in front of him with smiles that could rival any sun.

“ _My lord, the drapes..._ ”

The dragon put up his hand to effectively stop the raven.

“I’m busy.”

Tao saw the gummy smile on his lord’s face and he understood. He bowed in respect as Yifan walked towards his family that was now all rolling on the grass.

“Of course, my lord.”                  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SFF EXO says: I you enjoyed hit that Kudos button or leave a lovely comment here or at our [LJ link](http://sff-exo.livejournal.com/8148.html)!


End file.
